Prior Lake, MN - With a check for $333,334 the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has now met its commitment for a $1 million matching grant over three years to the Saints Healthcare Foundation of Shakopee, Minnesota. The Foundation raises funds for both St. Francis Regional Medical Center and St. Gertrude's Rehabilitation Center.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton gift supported construction of a 36,565 square foot addition to the existing St. Gertrude's to house increased rehabilitation services. St. Gertrude's Health & Rehabilitation Center provides long-term care, hospice services, assisted living, and rehabilitation for patients recovering from orthopedic surgeries, cancer, and motorcycle and vehicle injuries.  Prior to the project, there was so much demand for rehab beds that St. Gertrude's regularly turned away between 60 and 80 patients a month. Patients stay an
average of 18-20 days.

SMSC Chairman Stanley R. Crooks said, "Because of this grant, approximately 60 patients in need of rehabilitation services won't have to be turned away each month and that's good for all of us."

Thirty private rooms dedicated to rehabilitation have been added with each new room containing a ceiling lift to help keep patients safer as they heal. The ceiling lifts move patients from the bed to wheelchairs to the rest room and showers. Existing rooms and physical therapy space were also remodeled as part of the project. The new space also
provides opportunities for increased outpatient and wellness services, such as educational seminars on improving balance, muscle tone, falls prevention, and other topics relevant to community health needs. A cozy community room with healthy snacks available throughout the day along with a fireplace provides space for social interaction for patients as they recover their mobility.

"We're very excited about opening our new physical rehabilitation facility and being able to serve more people within the community," said St. Gertrude's Marketing Director Yvonne Anderson. The new space, decorated in restful earth tones, was blessed and a ribbon-cutting held October 13, 2011. SMSC Vice-Chairman Glynn A. Crooks participated
in the opening ceremony.

The overall project cost was $6.4 million with a fundraising goal of $2 million. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community donated $1 to the Saints Healthcare Foundation for every $1 donated by the larger community, enabling St. Gertrude's to meet its $2 million fundraising goal for this project.

"We are happy to be able to support both St. Gertrude's and St. Francis with this donation of one million dollars to the Saints Healthcare Foundation. I personally have had a lot of experience at St. Francis with friends and family members who have been patients
there, so I know how important the work they do is," said Chairman Crooks.

He spoke about the two Saints' facilities, saying, "St. Francis and St. Gertrude's are the two health care facilities that are not only closest to the reservation, but also serve our Community members on a daily basis. In supporting this cause, we are giving back to
organizations which have helped the larger community so much over the years."

About Saints Healthcare Foundation
Saints Healthcare Foundation is a non-profit organization, established in October 2008 through the merger of two long-standing foundations-the St. Francis Foundation and St. Gertrude's Foundation. Like its predecessor foundations, Saints Healthcare Foundation remains an associated foundation of the Benedictine Health System (BHS) Foundation and exists to generate philanthropic support for the two BHS-affiliated healthcare organizations that serve local patients - St. Gertrude's Health & Rehabilitation Center and St. Francis Regional Medical Center.

Prior to the new project, St. Gertrude's housed a 35-bed long term care unit, a 40-bed rehabilitation/sub acute center, and a 40-bed assisted living unit. It is located on the St. Francis Regional Medical Center campus which provides an extensive continuum of care
including cancer and dialysis centers, physician and specialty clinics, a premier regional hospital, pharmacy, and dental and eye clinics. Over the past ten years since St. Gertrude's opened, they have successfully discharged more than 3,500 individuals back into their respective communities.

Eighty percent of patient referrals are from St. Francis. Patients with plans to enter St. Gertrude's after a hospital procedure often reduce their length of stay at St. Francis. Caring for these additional patients also means more on-campus visits for lab, diagnostic, oncology, and other procedures. Rehabilitated patients also often return home more safely and are less likely to be readmitted to St. Francis with complications following a procedure.

In previous years, SMSC grants totaling $705,000 helped fund construction of a new emergency room for St. Francis and of a chapel and outdoor meditation area and Circle of Life Suites for hospice care for St. Gertrude's.

For more information about the Saints Healthcare Foundation, call 952-233-4400 or go to
www.saintshealthcarefoundation.org.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
The SMSC utilizes its financial resources from gaming and non-gaming enterprises to pay for the internal infrastructure of the Tribe, including but not limited to roads, water and sewer systems, emergency services, and essential services to its Tribal members in
education, health, and welfare.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has a charitable giving program which comes from a cultural and social tradition to assist those in need. Over the past 15 years, the SMSC has donated more than $215.7 million to charitable organizations and Indian Tribes and Native American organizations. The SMSC has also made more than $396 million in loans to other tribes for economic development projects. Since 1996 the SMSC paid more than $7.5 million for shared local road construction projects and an additional $16.7 million for road projects on the reservation. The SMSC has also paid $12.7 million to local governments for services and another $5 million for other projects.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Minnesota, is the owner and operator of Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Little Six Casino, Mazopiya, Playworks, Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, The Meadows at Mystic Lake, Shakopee Dakota Convenience Stores, and other enterprises on a reservation south of the Twin Cities.

This press release and other information may be downloaded from the SMSC website at www.shakopeedakota.org.