Sanford Fargo named top great behavioral health program
June 19, 2025
Contact:
Nathan Aamodt
Sanford Health Media Relations
(701) 200-6080/nathan.aamodt@sanfordhealth.org
FARGO, N.D. – Sanford Health Fargo has been recognized by Becker’s Health Review as one of 60 hospitals and health systems with great psychiatry and behavioral health programs.
The nominated hospitals and health systems are committed to treating mental health as a vital part of overall wellbeing, providing support for the psychiatric, emotional and behavioral needs of their patients. Through a thoughtful combination of medication management, therapy, education and innovative treatment approaches, these programs are addressing one of health care’s most essential, and often overlooked, needs.
“Providing world-class behavioral health services to the communities we serve is more important now than ever before,” said Kathryn Norby, Sanford Health vice president of operations for behavioral health services. “It is a priority for Sanford Health to help reduce the stigma by providing students and future professionals in psychiatry, psychology and therapy practical experience through rotations and internships. It is our hope that by creating awareness through events such as the ‘Out of the Darkness Walk’ and by making the necessary resources available, we can help aid in the fight against mental health one day at a time.”
Sanford Fargo Behavioral Health provides a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services, bolstered by integrated screenings across clinics and the strategic placement of therapists within primary care. With 28 inpatient beds and a multidisciplinary team, the department has embedded real-time mental health response in emergency departments, utilizing virtual psychiatric consults to reduce wait times and improve outcomes.
The Sanford Fargo Behavioral Health team, in partnership with the University of North Dakota, developed “The Behavioral Health Bridge” platform during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve a critical educational resource across the region. The program also offers new grant-funded initiatives such as the Sanford Fargo Substance Use Disorder Clinic and research on rural mental health and trauma care.
A list of all hospitals and health systems recognized with great psychiatry and behavioral health programs can be found here.
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 53,000 employees and serves over 2 million patients and nearly 425,000 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 56 hospitals, 288 clinic locations, 147 senior care communities, 4,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 1,500 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to 78 specialties. 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.
