Gov. Doug Burgum’s budget calls for building a new State Hospital in Jamestown.
The new hospital would be built through a “public-private partnership.”
"The financing, the design, the build, and the maintenance of the building would occur through the management of a private entity," said hospital superintendent Dr. Rosalie Etherington. "Then we, as the state, would make annual payments for the full debt service, which would be approximately 40 years."
Etherington said there is interest among private developers to build the facility. She said if authorized by the 2021 Legislature, a bid process would be initiated.
As to where hospital itself would be built, Etherington said that’s yet to be determined.
"Although I could say that, as far as the current grounds of the hospital, it would not be present there," Etherington said. "That's in part just because of the location, and what exists in what we used to call 'the circle,' the current grounds."
Etherington said there is a lot of state land, including some near the current hospital grounds.
"There is also the potential to locate the new hospital in a different place, such as by other health care providers in the city of Jamestown," Etherington said.
Etherington also said it would not be located within the footprint of the James River Correctional Center.
Etherington said current hospital buildings are in need of major upgrades – and it’s to the point that the upgrades would cost as much – or more – than a new state hospital.
"As we all know, the science of healing architecture has made lots of progress," Etherington said. "We'd really pay attention in the design of a new hospital for a better health environment, that would actually speed up the process of recovery."
Etherington said consolidating services into one building would save money and improve care. Along with this, she said the State Hospital is working to add beds in western North Dakota, and has been talking with providers in the West.
"We hope we can partner with a private provider for those beds," Etherington said. "We are all committed to adding psychiatric beds in western North Dakota."