Samaritan Health Services

Meet a difference maker: John Erkkila, MD

After undergoing successful hip replacement surgery in 1994, former Monroe lumber mill owner Ralph Hull wanted to do something to honor the orthopedic surgeon who had taken such good care of him: John Erkkila, MD. He decided to establish an endowment in Erkkila’s name, and later that year made two gifts to the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation totaling $1.4 million to set up the fund. At that time it was the largest-ever gift to the hospital foundation.

The purpose of the Erkkila endowment is to support local programs and projects which enhance human function and performance through clinical research, rehabilitation, and/or prevention.

Erkkila recalled that the idea for the endowment evolved from a series of conversations the two men had about helping individuals maximize their potential.
“He really wanted to facilitate the pursuits of others,” Erkkila said. “He was a generous man, generous to his community. I think he thought very carefully about the things he gave to.”

Through an annual grants process chaired by Erkkila, the endowment annually distributes nearly $100,000 to local organizations in support of research programs and projects. Recent examples include a study at Oregon State University on the effects of community-based physical activity programs on the health of growing girls and a study by a Samaritan physician on the identification, prevention and treatment of delirium.