FOSSTON — Essentia Health is expanding two emergency departments in Northern Minnesota.
The health care organization announced Wednesday, March 26, it is investing $12 million in its Fosston facility. It announced a similar $13 million investment in Virginia on Monday.
Both projects feature behavioral health spaces designed for patients experiencing mental health episodes.
In Virginia, Essentia said the expansion will also add new technology and enhanced security to the department that serves about 13,000 patients a year. Construction begins later this year and will be finished by late 2026.
"This project is vital for our region, especially in providing accessible and high-quality health care on the Range," stated Sam Stone, administrator at Essentia Health-Virginia, in a news release. "By increasing our capacity and introducing a dedicated behavioral health suite, we are ensuring that every patient receives timely and specialized care."
The Virginia project is funded by Essentia Health, Essentia's regional foundation, the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation and donors.
The new Fosston emergency department will be roughly five times larger than the current space and will include a new ambulance bay and registration desk. Essentia said it will improve patient flow, safety, infection control, emergency medical services access and overall efficiency.
The investment was subject to approval from the organization's board of directors. Design work is expected to begin this spring, and the project could be completed in as little as two years.
"The project would make another substantial commitment to our patients and the broader Fosston community," said Tanner Goodrich, senior vice president of operations for Essentia.
But the city of Fosston is pushing back against that characterization.
In a news release, Fosston City Administrator Cassie Heide said the planned improvements were part of the original 2009 operating agreement between Essentia, the city and the nonprofit the city chose to own the hospital, First Care Medical Services.
"This commitment has been in place for over sixteen years, making this investment not a new initiative, but a long-overdue fulfillment of an existing agreement,” she wrote.
In its announcement, Essentia noted the city's representative, Heide, was the sole vote against the improvements at the March 18 meeting of the First Care Medical Services Board.
Heide said she doesn’t have an issue with the upgrades but with Essentia inappropriately adding two members to the three-person board prior to the meeting without the city’s consent.
Heide told the Grand Forks Herald that Essentia removed Bob Overmoe — who has been on the board since before the affiliation agreement began — in December. Essentia then unilaterally appointed members to fill Overmoe's spot and another vacant seat, one of them the organization's finance director, according to Heide.
Overmoe was also the chair of the Fosston-appointed task force exploring a transition plan last summer, which would include creating a new local 501(c)(3) that would bring back labor and delivery.
"The board was not conducting a legal meeting of duly appointed directors," said the city's news release. "During the meeting, she [Heide] voiced her objection on this basis while also stating that she was in full support of Essentia's proposed emergency department investment."
Essentia told the Grand Forks Herald that it does not need city approval to add or remove board members.
The upgrades are the latest flashpoint between the health care provider and the city. Essentia ended labor and delivery services at the hospital in 2022, which the city said was a breach of contract. Arbiters ruled it was not, but the city still aims to terminate the agreement and restore local control.
