It is a firsthand look of rural healthcare at work.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined Sanford Health leaders in Bemidji for a tour focused on the organization’s longstanding commitment to rural healthcare and innovative approaches that are expanding access across northern Minnesota.
The visit followed the finalization of Sanford’s partnership with North Memorial Health in early September.
Sanford Health Bemidji President and CEO Jason Caron, M.D., hosted Ellison. Both were joined by Sanford Health President and CEO Bill Gassen.
“We appreciate Attorney General Ellison for taking the time to learn more about the work underway and the opportunities ahead to strengthen healthcare access for communities across Minnesota,” Gassen said.
The tour highlighted innovative work happening in emergency and behavioral health, cardiovascular care, maternal health and workforce development.
“Across each of these areas, our caregivers and leaders are finding new ways to meet the unique needs of rural communities through technology, outreach programs, new care models and strategic partnerships,” Gassen added.
Dr. Caron said Ellison’s visit highlights growing attention to rural health disparities and the importance of rural care.
“So many things that everybody benefits from happen in rural communities. There has to be a strong healthcare system in place for people no matter what phase of their lives they’re going through,” Ellison said.
Big investment making big impact
Sanford Bemidji serves as a vital regional hub for more than 176,000 people across 14,400 square miles of northern Minnesota and showcases what long-term investment, paired with strong local leadership, can make possible.
Dr. Caron has seen the region evolve over the last 15 years since North Country Health Services merged with Sanford Health in 2011. Sanford Health originally committed to investing $75 million in the region but has since invested more than $170 million in facilities, technology, the workforce and expanded services across northern Minnesota. This is an example of how a larger integrated system can support locally led care by bringing resources and expertise into a rural community — where distance, an aging population and growing healthcare needs make access especially important.
“The big change is we’re now more of a regional referral hub,” Dr. Caron told Sanford Health News. “That is because of capital investments into subspecialty service lines.”
Those investments have expanded access to advanced cardiovascular care close to home which, in turn, has helped patients get critical care sooner and supported better outcomes across the region. The impact is measurable: cardiovascular mortality in Beltrami County has declined approximately 33% since 2011.
Before interventional cardiology was available locally, patients who experienced a heart attack could face a four-hour roundtrip to Fargo for lifesaving care.
Today, Sanford Bemidji offers 24/7 emergency heart attack care along with interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, cardiac rehabilitation and other advanced services.
The same approach extends beyond the hospital’s walls with outreach to communities across northern Minnesota so every patient doesn’t have to travel to Bemidji.
Strengthening maternal care through innovation
During the tour, Ellison met Johnna Nynas, M.D., an OB/GYN passionate about improving access and outcomes for mothers and babies.
“One of the big concerns we have is obstetrics, gynecology, birthing,” Ellison explained.
Dr. Nynas underscored her deeply personal commitment to rural care having grown up in a rural community in Minnesota. She also discussed the importance of collaboration in advancing maternal health solutions.
“We are working on regionalizing care in this area to create a network of support for regional women,” Dr. Nynas shared with leaders during the tour.
“No person should have to suffer health consequences or change the quality of their care because of their ZIP code.”
In Bemidji, Dr. Nynas said four of five patients have at least one chronic medical condition entering pregnancy.
To address barriers, Sanford has expanded virtual prenatal visits, home-monitoring technology, community outreach clinics, care coordination services, and a virtual OB hospitalist program that connects rural providers with immediate OB/GYN expertise.
“The goal is to expand ways we’re delivering care … and bring care to women instead of women to care,” Dr. Nynas said.
Expanding mental, behavioral healthcare
Investment in Bemidji has also expanded behavioral health services to get patients the right level of care in the right place at the right time.
The group also met Joseph Corser, M.D., a longstanding family medicine physician specializing in emergency medicine, trauma and addiction medicine.
Dr. Corser introduced Ellison to Sanford Bemidji’s expanded services including outpatient and virtual psychiatry, inpatient care, addiction treatment and crisis services.
One key innovation is the Sanford Bemidji Crisis Center, home to the state’s first pediatric EmPATH unit which is a place where patients can de-stress from a difficult, emotional situation rather than receiving care in an emergency setting.
“It’s been beneficial in all ways,” Dr. Corser said.
In the three years since the unit opened, behavioral health crisis visits to the emergency department have decreased by 9% in children and 13% for adults.
Building up the rural care workforce
Recruitment and retention are two of the biggest challenges facing rural healthcare.
Dr. Caron said Sanford Health is focused on creating opportunities for students and residents to train in Bemidji and building a stronger pipeline of people who understand rural practice.
“We believe that if we can get people here to experience it – we have wonderful patients, we have a great collegial culture within our hospital – and if people can come to experience that, they’ll have a higher likelihood of staying,” he said.
The organization partners with four medical schools and hosts medical students through programs like the University of Minnesota’s Rural Physician Associate Program, which places students in Bemidji for immersive experiences.
Beyond this, from a Graduate Medical Education perspective, Sanford Health has a strong partnership with Hennepin Healthcare through a rural-urban residency rotation program.
Dr. Caron said the program has been “wildly well-received.”
Focusing on the future
Together with Sanford Health leaders, Ellison is optimistic about the future of rural care but acknowledged that significant work remains.
The new partnership with North Memorial Health provides an opportunity to learn from one another and strengthen care across rural and urban communities.
“It’s probably the biggest rural-urban healthcare system that our state has seen,” Ellison said. “We’re hoping to see more connectivity, more conversation, more innovation, more ways to make sure that people stay healthy, and if they have an emergency, they can get the assistance they need.”
Leaders point to Bemidji as an example of what collaboration can make possible and see opportunities to build on this model across Minnesota.
“We need strong rural health systems because people who live in rural communities deserve it,” Ellison said.
Learn more
- Hospital partnership builds an ICU for rural Minnesota
- Sanford Health shows how it trains tomorrow’s care team
- Sanford Health, North Memorial Health complete partnership
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Posted In Bemidji, Community Impact, Leadership in Healthcare, Rural Health, Thought Leadership
