Catholic Health Initiatives is forming a regional health care system for central and western North Dakota.
What this means: CHI-St. Alexius of Bismarck, CHI Mercy Medical Center in Williston, CHI-St. Joseph's in Dickinson, CHI-Carrington Health, CHI Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake, as well as hospitals an clinics in Turtle Lake, Minot, Mandan and Washburn will now be under the CHI-St. Alexius name.
"Together, we can provide the latest medical technology and innovations in care," CHI Fargo division executive officer Jeff Drop said at a Bismarck news conference. "We're going to expand and upgrade services to meet the growing needs of people in Central and Western North Dakota."
CHI St. Alexius Bismarck market manager Kurt Schley says this is not a change in name-only. And he says this does not mean job changes or cuts.
"This is not a prelude to restructuring," said Schley. "This is a coming-together from a quality standpoint. Over time, this will evolve into a very tight-knit, coordinated system focused on quality outcomes."
Schley says this will put patients and doctors in touch with a more comprehensive set of resources.
"We (CHI-St. Alexius in Bismarck) are a Level Two trauma center," Schley said. "We have been recognized by US News and World report as the best hospital in North Dakota for three years. We are making our services and expertise available to those other facilities."
The new health care system employs more than 3400 people.
