Billings Clinic Classic street party returns, will raise funds to advance to Level I Trauma Center designation
The 2022 Billings Clinic Classic is nearly here. This year’s classic, a premier fundraiser and community event, is on Saturday, Aug. 27, with proceeds benefiting Billings Clinic’s ongoing work to become a Level I Trauma Center, with an initial focus to help meet needs of the growing Emergency Department.
The Classic returns this year with an engaging and energetic all-outdoor street party, raffle, silent auction and seven golf events. After a wildly successful performance at the 2019 Classic, Alter Ego will return as this year’s headline entertainment at the Street Party Celebration on Broadway. From Montreal, Alter Ego is North America’s top party band and the only act to headline two Classics. The non-stop all-dance repertoire features the best of 70’s disco, 80’s rock, 90’s pop, and the hit songs of the new millennium. With 10 lead singers and more than 60 dazzling costume changes, this group puts on a show like no other.
The night will start with mingling, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres featuring music by local act, Gilda House. The entirety of the 2022 Classic will be held outside on Broadway, between Third Avenue North and Fourth Avenue North. This location, in the heart of downtown Billings, has been an integral part of the Classic for more than 25 years and has become synonymous with the annual fundraiser and celebration.
Tickets are now on sale to the public on a first come first served basis. To support Billings Clinic’s Level I Trauma Center work, and the patients it serves, call Billings Clinic Foundation at 406-657-4670 or go to www.billingsclinicfoundation.com.
The 2022 Classic will support Billings Clinic’s work to begin Phase I of the multiyear effort to become a Level I Trauma Center, which includes needs within Billings Clinic’s Emergency Department.
As the region’s largest independent health care provider, Billings Clinic is a leader in maintaining the health and well-being of people who live and work in a vast multi-state region that includes Montana, Wyoming and the western Dakotas. Last year, Billings Clinic met the health care needs of nearly 165,000 unique patients. These patients accounted for nearly one million outpatient and telehealth visits and procedures, and nearly 15,000 inpatient hospital stays.
Billings Clinic has taken the important step to elevate lifesaving care across the region by seeking Level I Trauma Center designation. This multiyear effort that will include 3 phases. The first phase will create alignment and increase capacity to provide the highest level of care. This includes meeting growing needs in the Emergency Department - the busiest in Montana - to continue to serve patients from throughout the region. Built in 2007, the Emergency Department saw over 50,000 visits in 2021, a 7.5% increase from the previous year and a 32% increase over the past 10 years.
The things we love most about our region – our wide-open spaces, year-round outdoor recreation, and the farming and ranching lifestyle – present unique challenges when an accident occurs. Billings Clinic was Montana’s first Level II Trauma Center, verified in 1992, and is the longest continually verified trauma Center in Montana. There is no Level I Trauma Center in Montana or Wyoming, and particularly complex, difficult cases can require emergency medical transport to distant centers for the highest level of coordinated care. This delays lifesaving care and is a costly burden to patients and families facing an emergency medical situation. As a result, a person’s likelihood of surviving a severe trauma in Montana is the second worst in the nation. To address these unique needs, Billings Clinic is seeking Level I designation.
This year’s Classic is chaired by Bill and Jean Mills. Jamiee Belsky, MD, Billings Clinic Emergency Medicine Physician and chair of the Emergency Department, will serve as this year’s physician champion. The theme of this year’s party is Putting Us On the Map. The Classic will also feature a raffle, an online auction and seven golf tournaments, in addition to the street party.
