FARGO Sanford Health is embarking on a major initiative to integrate genetic information with primary care enabled by a $125 million gift from namesake benefactor T. Denny Sanford.

The new effort, announced Tuesday, is billed by Sanford as the first of its kind in the nation to marry genetic screening with internal medicine doctors throughout its clinic system.

The so-called Sanford Imagenetics program will begin offering patients the opportunity for precise genetic testing and genetic counseling later this year.

This is the frontier of medicine, Sanfords top executive, Kelby Krabbenhoft, said in making the announcement. This is whats going to change everything for everybody.

Sanfords gift will allow the health system to hire and train teams of specialists in a collaboration that also will involve academic centers in the Sanford service area for research, and training physicians and other providers.

Each of Sanfords four regional hubs Sioux Falls, S.D., Fargo, Bismarck, and Bemidji, Minn. will have specialists who will work closely with internal medicine doctors.

Sanford already has seven genetic counselors, including two in Fargo, and five medical geneticists.

Through telemedicine and targeted outreach efforts, the program will be available to patients throughout Sanfords sprawling service area that includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana.

A portion of Sanfords gift will be used for a new genetic medicine center at its campus near downtown Sioux Falls, with construction to begin in spring 2015.

We will have the same resources, said Dr. Julie Blehm, a senior internal medicine doctor at the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo. Were going to have the same opportunities.

Link:
Sanford announces $125 million genetic medicine initiative

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