Bemidji Medical Center earns surgical safety recognition
March 26, 2026
Contact:
Jillian Johnson
Media Relations Specialist –Bemidji Region
(218) 333-6090 / jillian.johnson@sanfordhealth.org
BEMIDJI, Minn. – Sanford Bemidji Medical Center is proud to announce its designation as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN).
AORN is the nation’s leading authority on perioperative nursing practice. The recognition honors the facility’s commitment to improving patients’ physical and psychological wellbeing before, during and after surgery through consistent, evidence-based enhanced recovery practices.
To earn this recognition, Sanford Bemidji’s surgical teams strengthened ERAS protocols, added new tools that support surgical safety, completed advanced training and built an even stronger culture of communication in the operating room.
“Achieving this designation reflects on our team’s dedication to delivering exceptional care at every stage of the surgical journey,” said Janna Galloway, Director of Surgical Services at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. “By strengthening our ERAS protocols, we’re improving outcomes and elevating the standard of care for the patients we serve.”
AORN offers three designations under its Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety program. Sanford Bemidji has earned all three designations: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), Retained Surgical Items Prevention, and Smoke Evacuation.
Each designation requires comprehensive staff education, physician attestation, and robust auditing processes to qualify for the award. Sanford Bemidji was among the first 10 hospitals nationwide to achieve the ERAS designation through AORN.
For more information about Sanford Health, visit sanfordhealth.org.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs. Sanford Health also includes Lewis Drug, a pharmacy and retail chain with 60 locations in three states and nearly 190 pharmacists. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
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