Four Winds Invitational to underwrite pediatric eye imaging equipment for Beacon Health System

FourWindsLogoThe Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds® Casinos are pleased to announce proceeds from the 2019 Four Winds Invitational will underwrite vital equipment for Beacon Health System—the purchase of pediatric eye imaging equipment for Beacon Children’s Hospital.

The RetCam3® Pediatric Eye Imaging technology allows physicians to examine and evaluate the eyes of premature and full-term newborns for ocular diseases. Such images allow physicians to establish a baseline for future eye health. It also provides clear information that can be shared between physicians, ocular specialists and parents to make more informed decisions regarding the health of the child.

“To have this sophisticated technology in our facility will save parents and physicians untold amounts of stress by providing them with concrete information regarding the diagnosis and progression of their child’s ocular disease,” said Larry Tracy, President of Beacon Children’s Hospital. “Year after year, the Pokagon Band and Four Winds Casinos have put the health of children and adults of our region first. They support our mission to provide the best possible healing environment for our young patients and their families. We are grateful to the Pokagon Band, Four Winds Casinos, Blackthorn and all of the sponsors of the Four Winds Invitational whose efforts make all of this possible.”

“As a nation the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians are committed to the health and well-being of not just our own citizens, but to the health of the communities in which we live,” said Matthew Wesaw, Chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. “We share the core value with Beacon. It’s why we’re humbled to be in a position to support Beacon Health System through the Four Winds Invitational.”

“We are proud of the continued partnership we have with Beacon Health System,” said Frank Freedman, Chief Operating Officer of Four Winds Casinos. “It’s an honor to help develop projects and services that give back to the community in such an important way.”

To date, proceeds from all associated Invitational events have helped construct a multi-story building above the Memorial Leighton Trauma Center for the General Pediatrics Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Newborn Intensive Care unit, and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic. The building, part of the hospital’s SHINE Campaign, features extended family rooms, single family rooms, playrooms and teen hideout spaces for patients, Family Enrichment Centers, a rooftop garden, and a butterfly room for families grieving the loss of a child. Funds have also allowed Beacon Children’s Hospital to purchase a pediatric ambulance, MedFlight incubator and ultrasound, giraffe warmers for the NICU, and three patient simulators to assist with educating and training area pediatric healthcare professionals. The 2018 Invitational funded two patient power-load systems for pediatric emergency transport, as well as four portable radios to be used during MedFlight patient transfers.

To learn more about the RetCam® Pediatric Eye Imaging technology supported by the Four Winds Invitational, contact Ryann DeMoss at (574) 647-2939 or via email at rdemoss@beaconhealthsystem.org.

The 2019 Four Winds Invitational takes place Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9 at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend and is part of the Symetra® Tour – Road to the LPGA®. To learn more about the Four Winds Invitational tournament, contact Tim Firestone of Blackthorn Golf Club at (574) 232-4653, or visit fourwindsinvitational.com.

To view a high-resolution image of the RetCam® Pediatric Eye Imaging technology, click here.

About the Four Winds Invitational

The Four Winds® Invitational was established in 2012 as part of the Symetra® Tour - Road to the LPGA®, and is sponsored by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and Four Winds® Casinos. It is held at Blackthorn Golf Club, located at 6100 Nimtz Parkway, South Bend, Ind. The tournament features a field of professional women golfers from around the world. More information is available at fourwindsinvitational.com.

About the Symetra Tour

The Symetra Tour is the official qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour and enters its 39th competitive sea¬son in 2019. With the support of its entitlement partner Symetra, the Tour’s mission is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. Since Syme¬tra’s inaugural sponsorship year in 2012, the Symetra Tour has grown from 16 tournaments and $1.7 million in prize money to $4.0 million in prize money awarded over the course of 24 tournaments. With more than 600 alumnae moving on to the LPGA, former Symetra Tour players have won a total of 437 LPGA titles.

About The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ sovereignty was reaffirmed under legislation signed into law by President Clinton in September of 1994. The Pokagon Band is dedicated to providing community development initiatives such as housing, education, family services, medical care and cultural preservation for its approximately 5,600 citizens. The Pokagon Band’s ten-county service area includes four counties in Southwestern Michigan and six in Northern Indiana. Its main administrative offices are located in Dowagiac, Mich., with a satellite office in South Bend, Ind. In 2007, it opened Four Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., followed by Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013. Four Winds South Bend opened January 2018. It owns and operates a variety of business via Mno-Bmadsen, the tribe’s non-gaming investment enterprise. More information is available at www.pokagonband-nsn.gov, www.fourwindscasino.com and www.mno-bmadsen.com.

About Four Winds Casinos

Four Winds New Buffalo, located at 11111 Wilson Road in New Buffalo, Mich., Four Winds Hartford®, located at 68600 Red Arrow Highway in Hartford, Mich., Four Winds Dowagiac®, located at 58700 M-51 South in Dowagiac, Mich., and Four Winds South Bend, located at 3000 Prairie Road in South Bend, Ind., are owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. Four Winds New Buffalo offers nearly 125,000 square feet of gaming with more than 2,500 slot machines, 48 table games, five restaurants, entertainment bars, retail venues, a pool, and a 415-room hotel, making it the premier gaming resort in the Midwest. Four Winds Hartford features more than 500 slot machines, eight table games, a 74-seat restaurant, and a 15-seat bar. Four Winds Dowagiac features 400 slot machines, seven table games and one restaurant. Four Winds South Bend has over 55,000 square feet of gaming space, 1,600 games, four restaurants, three bars, a players lounge, a coffee shop, a retail outlet and a 10-table, live dealer poker room. For more information on Four Winds Casinos, please call 1-(866)-4WINDS1 (866-494-6371) or visit www.fourwindscasino.com.