Most area residents probably have heard the name Mary Lanning Healthcare. But not everyone may realize that there are three distinct organizations working in different ways to provide excellent healthcare to the region:
- Mary Lanning Healthcare
- The Mary Lanning Healthcare Foundation
- The Mary Lanning Trust
It’s important to know the difference among these three and understand what resources they provide.
Mary Lanning Healthcare is a non-profit, independent organization offering a 161-bed acute care hospital and several outpatient services and clinics. It was established in 1915 by William and Alice Lanning to honor their college-age daughter who died after an illness.
- Non-profit means MLH is a charitable healthcare organization that operates without the goal of earning a profit for owners or shareholders. Rather than distributing revenue to investors, the organization reinvests funds in patient care, staff, new technology and the community. Because it is considered a charitable organization, MLH does not pay federal income or state/local property taxes.
- Independent means the MLH Board of Trustees is made up of volunteers from the region who are not governed by an outside organization. Decisions are made by local people for the benefit of the community.
The Mary Lanning Healthcare Foundation is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization created in 1996. Its Board of Directors oversees the foundation’s resources and fund development in addition to MLH community health initiatives. Fundraising priorities are:
- Equipment
- Scholarships to nursing students and the MLH School of Radiologic Technology
- Programs
- Capital campaigns
- Endowment
Funds come from corporate and foundation grants, governmental grants, planned giving - including bequests and annuities - annual giving, special events and memorial gifting.
The Foundation works with individual donors to match their charitable wishes with the current and future needs of patients who seek care close to home.
Finally, the Mary Lanning Trust is the lesser-known entity of the three even though it was founded shortly after the creation of Mary Lanning Memorial Hospital in 1918 by some of the same hospital founders, William Lanning, Thomas Frahm and R. R. Damerell.
The trust was created as an independent endowment holder not only for MLH but for healthcare and the community, as well. Three primary benefactors left significant holdings to the trust for support of MLH and Sunnyside, which was a home for the elderly. (The Sunnyside Foundation now offers grants with preference to projects dealing with health, education, social welfare and the elderly.)
- It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which means it does not pay income tax. However, it does pay property taxes to support local government, including schools, roads, fire protection and NRDs.
- The trust owns 37 farms, consisting of 41 tracts of land in seven south central Nebraska counties.
- The original trust investments have been preserved and retain the names of the original donors. Income from trust investments is used to support MLH. The funds are used for improvements, not operational expenses.
MLH has received a lot of community support over the years, making it possible to continue as an independent organization, even during tough times. Donations through the foundation are always needed.
If you would like more information, please contact:
- Mary Lanning Healthcare: 402-463-4521
- MLH Foundation: 402-460-5600
- ML Trust: 402-462-8210
