On a cold February night in Pierre, SD, South Dakota State Sen. Mark Johnston – who is also a Vice President of Sanford Health – told me that Sanford was discussing a potential relationship with a partner in Israel.

On August 18, I attended the annual dinner of the Sioux Falls Jewish Welfare Society and heard the informal announcement (the formal announcement was made August 20) of Sanford building a pediatric clinic in Carmiel, Israel.

The background of the clinic extends back to 2007. In that year, South Dakota businessman and philanthropist Denny Sanford gifted $400 million to Sanford Health. The gift will fund a number of initiatives including the establishment of a network of Sanford Clinics around the world in communities seeking to expand access to those who need pediatric care.

The needs of pediatric care in Carmiel were evaluated in a detailed process as well as the sustainability of a pediatric clinic. Carmiel is known as the "city of families and children." With an estimated population of approximately 50,000 people, the city is growing rapidly as is the need for pediatric services. According to Carmiel's municipal website, the city was founded in 1964 and built according to a master plan which fixed its development in advance.

Partnering with Sanford Health is Maccabi Healthcare Services ("Maccabi") of Israel. Maccabi provides medical care to a quarter of Israel's population – 1.8 million people.

In connection with Sanford's initiative to establish pediatric clinics throughout the world, Sanford has opened pediatric clinics in Duncan, OK, and Oceanside, CA. Clinics in Klamath Falls, OR, and West Dublin, Ireland, are in process. The August 20 announcement of the clinic in Carmiel also included an announcement of Sanford's plans to open clinics in Baja, Mexico, and Ghana.

Sanford's pediatric partnership in Mexico involves Los Cabos Children's Foundation. Attending the August 20 press conference was Mexico's Consul General (St. Paul), Ana Luisa Fajer Flores. The Consul general noted at the press conference that Mexico's population of 100 million has an average age of 27 with 50 million people younger than 15 (Argus Leader [Sioux Falls], August 20, 2011).

In Ghana, Sanford will open the clinics around the country focused on primary care for children and adults. The United States has deep ties to Ghana dating back to Ghana's independence. Ghana was the first country to receive U.S. Peace Corp volunteers in 1961. The U.S. and Ghana are signatories of more than 20 treaties and agreements. According to the Congressional Research Service's, Ghana Background and US Relations (July 8, 2009), Ghana is regarded as a "stable and democratic government" and among the "most trusted partners" of the United States in Africa. President Obama visited Ghana in July, 2009.

In Carmiel, a region with a significant Israeli Arab population, Sanford has an opportunity to help address inequality in medical care between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

In a commentary published in Haaretz in 2009, according to the "Sikkuy Report 2007: The Equality Index," the "multi-year trends indicate that life expectancy at birth is rising consistently among both population groups [Israeli Arabs and Jews], but among Arabs the increase is more moderate and therefore the gaps between Jews and Arab[s] are steadily increasing." Hopefully, partnerships in pediatrics such as those of Sanford Health's in Carmiel will assist all Israelis in improving their health and promoting greater equality in Israel.