Gilchrist Foundation Supports UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s

The Gilchrist Foundation is proud to support the arts in Siouxland and we love being there when the completed projects - that our grants helped fund - are officially unveiled.

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s, located in Sioux City, recently unveiled two completed projects that were supported by our grants, the Pierce Street Project and the newly renovated pediatric playroom.

Pierce Street Project

In 2018, the UnityPoint St. Luke’s Foundation received a $25,000 project grant from the Gilchrist Foundation to help fund a beautification and safety project on Pierce Street. The project, which celebrated a ribbon cutting on Nov. 28, features a new, attractive corridor through the UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital campus. The Pierce Street Project consisted of a reconstructed roadway and sidewalks from 24th to 29th streets that feature new on-street parking, trees, new lighting and colored pavements. The winding road and additional parking not only enhances the campus but improves pedestrian safety throughout the corridor. City utilities, such as sewer, water, storm sewer and street lights, were also replaced. The project was designed by HR Green of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and constructed by Sioux City Engineering.

Pediatric Playroom

Also in November 2018, the hospital officially unveiled its newly renovated pediatric playroom. In 2017, the medical center received a $25,000 project grant from the Gilchrist Foundation to use art in healing for children by renovating its pediatric playroom and family theatre. The room features multiple areas and nooks for the hospital’s littlest patients to draw and get creative. Giving a child the gift of creativity, especially when they’re in the hospital, allows them to express any feelings of fear and uncertainty while giving them back some control by drawing and coloring what they want. The new space also features a television and Xbox.

UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s has a long history in Sioux City. It traces its roots back to 1884 when the town’s first hospital, Samaritan Hospital, opened. The hospital, as it exists today, was founded in 1966 when the Lutheran and Methodist hospitals joined. The central building at 27th and Stone Park Blvd. was built in 1972 and received numerous improvements throughout the years including adding floors and vital areas of care. In 2013, Iowa Health System and its affiliates, including St. Luke's, changed names to UnityPoint Health.

The Gilchrist Foundation was established by Jocelyn Gilchrist in December 1998 to honor her family and further their interests. After Jocelyn’s death, the Foundation continued in her memory and is proud to support the philanthropic interests of the Gilchrist family. Organizations designed to aid in disaster recovery are encouraged to apply for funding through the Gilchrist Foundation. Learn more about our grant applications.

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