Sanford quietly growing in East Grand Forks

Sanford Health has rapidly expanded its footprint and regional influence the past two years, spurred by its merger with Fargo-based MeritCare and a bevy of new construction projects.

Now, the nation’s largest nonprofit rural health care system also is becoming more of a player in a northwest Minnesota market long dominated by Grand Forks-based Altru Health System.

Last month, Sanford Health announced plans to build a $60 million new medical center and clinic in Thief River Falls.

While it is still a small player in the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks area, Sanford has been quietly expanding its presence in East Grand Forks, as well.

In April, Sanford Health added an additional 8,000 square feet of clinic space in the former PRACS Institute/Cetero Research building — the original location of the first MeritCare facility in East Grand Forks that opened in 2000.

The new space is offering expanded occupational medicine, physical therapy and outreach services such as cardiology, oncology, urology and surgical consultations. Recent additions to the new facility also include podiatry, ear, nose and throat services and the addition of a second physical therapist.

“We are in a growth pattern in the East Grand Forks market,” said Justin Stromme, director of clinic operations for Sanford Health’s East Grand Forks and Mahnomen, Minn., locations. “There are a lot of different possibilities and directions for us. We will continue to explore those. I see us moving forward. I don’t know the timeframe, but we will continue to move forward.”

Sanford also has about 16,000 square feet in its main Central Avenue clinic location in East Grand Forks, which provides family medicine, reproductive medicine, laboratory services, general radiology, ultrasound and nutrition services. The main clinic also has Sanford specialists in allergy and orthopedic outreach available to patients two to three times a month.

Stromme said Sanford’s East Grand Forks location has experienced about a 10 percent annual increase in patient volumes the past three years, a trend expected to continue.

Crookston-based RiverView Health also has clinic locations in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

A new Altru clinic across South Washington Street from the Aurora Medical Park also is scheduled to open next year.

Stromme said Sanford has a good relationship with Altru, adding many Sanford patients are hospitalized at Altru and receive good quality care there.

While Sanford’s East Grand Forks clinic facilities are relatively small compared with Altru’s larger Grand Forks and regional facilities, Sanford is taking a similar approach to Altru on how it serves patients in its satellite facilities.

“We’re really trying to provide a hometown clinic environment in a larger community,” Stromme said. “Because of our size, we respond very quickly to our patients and their needs. We definitely don’t want to lose that with our growth. We want to keep providing that environment for our patients.”

Sanford’s East Grand Forks operation has added four new employees since April, expanding its staff to about 40. About another 10 visiting specialists also provide services throughout the month to Sanford patients.

Stromme said the main priority with the additional clinic space in East Grand Forks was to add occupational medicine, working with injured workers and providing physical therapy services.

Sanford is now providing walk-in service for work injuries, drug screenings and hearing and vision testing.

“We really felt like the employers and workers in this area were looking for both those services,” he said.

While Sanford is still a relatively minor player in the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks market, Stromme said like the health care system’s rapid growth, he expects to see more services added in East Grand Forks.

“We are constantly exploring the services that our patients want,” he said. “If we determine that those are valuable services for us, there is room for us to expand.”

Schuster reports on business. Reach him at (701) 780-1107; (800) 477-6572, ext. 107, or email rschuster@gfherald.com. Follow Schuster on Twitter at @RyanSchuster.

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