Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven issued a statement following the announcement by CommonSpirit Health and Altru Health regarding a letter of intent for Altru to acquire the Devils Lake hospital. “This announcement is an important milestone towards ensuring quality health care in the Devils Lake region, and was made possible through community engagement and provider collaboration. Tim Bricker and Todd Forkel have been incredible partners during this process. I appreciate their willingness to work with me, Mayor Moe, and the community to move this priority forward, as well as the time and resources they’ve devoted to the many meetings, calls, and visits to Devils Lake we’ve held over the past year,” said Senator Hoeven.

“Altru’s acquisition of the Devils Lake Hospital will meet the community’s goal of bringing unified care to the region and build upon the renovations that CommonSpirit is currently undertaking in the emergency department. Once Altru completes its due diligence within the next six months, the door to even more improvements will be open, and we look forward to seeing these plans become reality.”

Tim Bricker, president for CommonSpirit’s Central Region, stated: “CommonSpirit wants patients in the Devils Lake region to have access to strong, local healthcare services. Altru is well-positioned to integrate Devils Lake into a continuum of care. We look forward to continuing our conversations. We are grateful for Senator Hoeven, Todd Forkel, local leaders and the community for their partnership through this process.”

Todd Forkel, CEO of Altru Health System, expressed enthusiasm about expanding healthcare services: “We are excited for the opportunity to expand upon Altru's commitment to advancing healthcare in the Lake Region. We are grateful to Senator Hoeven and local leaders for their support and passion for keeping healthcare local, and to Tim Bricker and his team for their collaboration.”

Jim Moe, Mayor of Devils Lake City, added: “We are thankful to all those involved in helping us get to this point. We’re looking forward to the prospect of a united health care system in Devils Lake that will be poised to meet our local health care needs.”

Hoeven has consistently engaged with local leaders and officials from CommonSpirit, Altru, and Essentia Health over the past year seeking solutions for optimal care delivery in Devils Lake. The senator organized three community roundtables supported by numerous discussions with key stakeholders including Bricker, Forkel, Mayor Moe among others.

Following an initial community meeting on this issue last year, Hoeven met with CommonSpirit Health CEO Wright Lassiter III in Washington D.C., where Lassiter committed Regional President Bricker’s involvement towards finding a solution.