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The Sandgaard Foundation “Band Together To End The Opioid Crisis”​

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    adminandrew
  • Published
    July 15, 2021
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  2. The Sandgaard Foundation “Band Together To End The Opioid Crisis”​

 

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The Sandgaard Foundation “Band Together To End The Opioid Crisis”​

 

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Thomas Sandgaard, Founder and CEO of Zynex Medical located in Englewood, Colorado as well as The Sandgaard Foundation to discuss the history of both organizations.  

Thomas started Zynex Medical in 1996 by boot strapping it out of his 1-bedroom apartment in Boulder, Colorado.  After 20+ years the company, which manufactures medical devices for pain management, is experiencing serious growth.  Zynex was recently rated the fastest growing public company in Colorado by the Denver Business Journal and one of the top 100 (#79) Public Companies in Colorado by ColoradoBiz Magazine.   

Zynex Medical introduced Thomas to one of the biggest socio-economic crises in the United States, opioids.  Most of us know someone that has been affected by this epidemic, whether it’s a family member, a friend or even someone famous that has been impacted or lost their life. As of 2017 more than 600,000 deaths have been attributed to opioid overdose and it’s predicted that another 500,000 could occur over the next 10 years.  

About a year ago, Thomas felt an urge to do more than just sell medical devices.  Born out of that desire, The Sandgaard Foundation was created. Zynex Medical and The Sandgaard Foundation both share the same purpose which is to help people get off of opioids and find alternatives.  The Foundation helps fund initiatives to save lives from opioid overdose. He wanted to change the conversation away from people potentially feeling shame from addiction and the stigma that may come with it.  He wanted to improve communication with individuals on how pain can be treated in ways other than opioid usage.  He began working with a firm that helped him build out the Foundation as well as a Public Relations firm that had extensive experience working with non-profits.  

The Foundation is in its early stages, but Thomas expects it to grow as news of their mission and purpose grows.  Thomas hopes and believes that as the word spreads, individuals and companies will feel compelled to donate to a worthy cause. Thomas is also a part of the music community as a musician and writer. He hopes that artists that support the Foundation will attract more audiences to events.  He hopes this will lead to further donations to the Foundation, which is already providing grants to first responders that can make an immediate impact and save lives. The Sandgaard Foundation supports nationwide efforts to decrease the habitual use of prescription pain medication, prevent addiction, and support victims and their families. They do this by actively supporting initiatives that create positive changes to help end the opioid epidemic.

On the Music front, Thomas began writing classic rock songs 9-12 months ago and connected with some talented producers in Los Angeles.  He’s been working with producers and artists with hopes to release an album soon.   He is looking forward to spending more time on the album in the coming months now that he has brought in some key leadership into his Medical Device company. All proceeds from the album will be benefiting the Foundation so they can help more victims of the opioid epidemic.  

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If you would like to learn more about the Foundation go to: 

https://www.sandgaardfoundation.org/

 

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