Billings, MT— Billings Clinic Foundation announced Wednesday that the 2022 Billings Clinic Classic will take place on Saturday, Aug. 27, with proceeds benefitting Billings Clinic’s ongoing work to become a Level I Trauma Center.
The Classic returns this year with an engaging and energetic all-outdoor street party, raffle, silent auction and seven golf events. The tribute cover band Alter Ego will return as this year’s headline entertainment at the Street Party Celebration on Broadway.
The night will start with mingling, hosted refreshments and hors d’oeuvres featuring music by Billings area sensation, 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 20 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 [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 bold 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 52,000 visits in 2021, a 7.5% increase from the previous year and a 32% increase over the past 10 years.
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 year’s Classic is chaired by Bill and Jean Mills. Jamiee Belsky, MD, Billings Clinic Emergency Medicine Physician and chairwoman 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 extravaganza, an online auction and seven golf tournaments, in addition to the street party.
