Latest news with #Altru
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Grand Forks Grand Rides bike share open for 2025 season
May 28—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Rides bike share program is now open for the 2025 season, the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association announced Wednesday. The program is run through the DDA, partnering with Altru Health System to provide a healthy alternative transportation option. Riders can sign up for a membership through the Movatic app to allow access to the 13 dock stations throughout Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Last year, there were over 6,000 rides through the program. "Grand Rides is more than just a bike program — it's about equipping our community with accessible, sustainable ways to get around," said Jill Proctor, CEO of the DDA, in the release announcing the 2025 season. "By breaking down access barriers and offering a free, easy-to-use bike share, we're reimagining how people travel within our city." To use bike sharing, riders need to have an account through the Movatic app and provide basic information. During a ride, a $3 hold is applied and then refunded when the ride is completed. This is the seventh year that Altru and the DDA have partnered to provide bike sharing options in Greater Grand Forks. "This program has provided opportunities for thousands of people to incorporate wellness into their day and explore our wonderful community," Altru Director of Strategy and Communications Annie Bonzer said in a statement. "We are so proud to continue this partnership and support the growth of Grand Rides." The program is also supported by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Caring Foundation, UND Student Government, Northland Community and Technical College, the city of Grand Forks, the city of East Grand Forks and AARP of North Dakota. More information about the program can be found on the DDA's website at .
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ray Richards neighbors want UND to pursue other options; UND says this is best way to cover course's deficit
May 15—GRAND FORKS — Rather than move forward with development plans at Ray Richards Golf Course, residents who live nearby told UND representatives that the university should pursue other options. The discussion came during a neighborhood meeting Thursday evening at UND. The university is proposing to construct 300 rental units, a year-round driving range and other entertainment, and a home for UND's golf team on the east and southeast sides of the course. Residents and UND representatives met in late April about the proposal and many of the same points were rehashed Thursday. The residents at Thursday's meeting were largely against the proposal. "I am appalled that you would do this to these people who are saying simply stop and look at what you're doing to us," neighborhood resident Sherry Houdek told UND representatives. "I don't think you are at all looking at what is aligned in any of your plans that you tout as being a very important mission and vision." Others added that UND and the city should have done more to alert a higher number of nearby residents about Thursday's meeting, especially given that the area is home to Altru's new hospital and Century Elementary School. UND and the city were only required to alert residents within 800 feet of the proposed site. "I know there must be a code of how far that you have to advise people of this type of rezoning, but I think it's totally inadequate," Mona Leake said. "I just don't see how this is going to benefit our neighborhoods." Elected representatives of the area also have their concerns about the project and have heard the concerns of the neighborhood. "I hear all these comments and I want to compliment every one of you on the decorum (you display)," said state Rep. Eric Murphy, a Republican from District 43, which encompasses the area. "This is an upsetting thing. I don't particularly care for it, but I want to hear from you." City Council member Ken Vein, who voted against the project's tax incentive pre-application, said he still has questions but has appreciated UND coming forth with ideas. "I have two issues. One is the loss of the golf course, which I would never want to see happen, but also the detrimental impacts of what's maybe being proposed," Vein said. "There are a lot of things that have to happen, but I do see the Ray Richards Golf Course as a public asset of significance and once it's gone, it's gone forever." If development of some sort doesn't move forward, selling the golf course could be an option. According to UND President Andy Armacost, the course is losing around $400,000 to $600,000 a year. The course was closed from 2016 to 2020 due to state budget cuts and needed improvements and will be closed again for two years when the nearby 42nd Street underpass is constructed. Two previous proposals for which UND sought bids never attracted bidders. One was in 2015 for a restaurant and clubhouse to generate additional revenue and, shortly after, another for private management of the course. This latest proposal for apartments and a driving range only had one qualified bidder. "We're trying to find a way to make a great project that benefits the entire city of Grand Forks, but also mitigating the concerns that you have," Armacost said. "We have been trusted to run a golf course by the Ray Richards family. We can't do that without additional sources of revenue." For the developed portions, UND would still own the land, but lease it to the developer for the apartments and receive payments. That amount would hopefully be enough to mitigate the course's deficit, according to Armacost. The land on the west side of the course can't be used for development because additional access off 42nd Street wouldn't be allowed after the underpass construction. Other issues include the limited funds to rehabilitate the course as part of the underpass project and because of the stormwater drainage needs of the neighborhood. Residents said that they would prefer townhomes or owner-occupied housing, like what exists to the south. However, the city has a demand for apartments with a vacancy rate of less than 3%, which, if it continues to remain that low, will drive up rents citywide, Grand Forks Director of Community Development and Planning Ryan Brooks said. "In the last two years, we have not handed out any new permits (for apartments)," Brooks said. "There is a concern about where our apartments are at in terms of future livability and what the rents are going to be." At present, the land surrounding the golf course is a mix of apartments and townhouses. The land is zoned in the University District, which is a wide zoning designation ranging from Ray Richards to the heart of UND's campus. A rezoning would be needed for the commercial aspects of the project. The project still has a long way to go and needs numerous approvals from Grand Forks city staff, planning and zoning commissioners and City Council before UND could even begin on the site. UND has said the goal would be to have construction occur while the course is closed for 42nd Street construction.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Altru still waiting for final acquisition of Devils Lake hospital. The final step? Approval from the Vatican
May 9—DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — Altru Health System's acquisition of CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake, once expected to be completed by the end of March, is waiting on one last step before it can be finalized, Altru CEO Todd Forkel said. That step? Approval from the Vatican. "It's really a wait-and-see as that final step gets done," Forkel said. The hope of a springtime takeover came and went as Altru continues to wait for the current owner, CommonSpirit Health, to get the faith-based hospital taken off the Catholic registry — an act that needs approval by an office at the Vatican. It's the last step before the acquisition, which started in June 2024 , can be completed. While waiting, Altru has named a future CEO for the hospital — Ellendale, North Dakota, native Tanner White . White said he's excited to begin his work at the hospital, and it's important for him to get involved in the community. Devils Lake Mayor Jim Moe said previously that the new CEO will be put on some committees in the city, and White is ready to get started. "I spent 14 years in Aberdeen (South Dakota) and I've been involved in all different sorts of committees, from the chamber to local golf course board to everything in between," he said. "Going to the Devils Lake region, I think it's important to get myself involved in those boards and committees, so I look forward to jumping at those opportunities as they present themselves." A hospital plays a pivotal role in a community, Forkel said, and he believes White will get involved early on. White has seven years of experience working with South Dakota-based Avera Health in multiple leadership roles, including vice president of network operations, director of therapy services and regional manager of philanthropy, an Altru announcement said. He also served as a liaison between Avera Health and several critical-access hospital boards, which led to him apply for the Devils Lake position. "I just really have come to love rural health care," he said. "I grew up in rural North Dakota, so I know what it means to provide good, quality care, and I decided it's time to take the next step, and maybe get hands-on in my own critical-access hospital." Altru conducted a regional search through the upper Midwest for the CEO position and received more than 30 applications, said Forkel, who also has ties to Avera and Aberdeen and knew White. Forkel said there's a comfort level in knowing White will be a good fit for the organization. "I got to see firsthand that he's a high-quality leader," Forkel said. "He's really good at building a great organizational culture and so that really has always stood out in the past, and definitely during the interview process. He's great at getting input from staff, building relationships, recognizing others for the work that they do and connecting them to purpose."
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Altru Health System honored with Grand Forks EDC's Klaus Thiessen Impact Award
Mar. 27—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation on Thursday honored Altru Health System with its Klaus Thiessen Impact Award. The health care provider received the award at the outset of the EDC's annual meeting in front of approximately 275 people at the Alerus Center ballroom. "We really felt they had risen to the top with the new hospital and all their contributions to the community," EDC CEO and President Keith Lund told the Herald. Altru's crowning achievement this year has been its brand-new $500 million hospital in Grand Forks. The health care provider is also in the process of acquiring CHI St. Alexius Health hospital in Devils Lake. Altru CEO Todd Forkel, President Josh Deere and the Altru Foundation's Chief Partnership and Philanthropy Officer Kristi Hall-Jiran were on hand to receive the award, named for the EDC's retired longtime CEO. Forkel told Lund the provider was "humbled and really grateful" to receive the award, and thanked Altru's many employees for their work. "We really look at it as a privilege to be able to not only serve Grand Forks, but the greater Grand Forks area," Forkel said. Altru moved out of its 52-year-old home and into its new facility next door in January. Lund presented the Altru executives with a painting by Eric Castle, depicting generations of Grand Forks hospitals, with the latest addition towering over the other two. Prompted by Lund, Deere said the new hospital made Grand Forks into a medical destination and was a tool for bringing more workers to Grand Forks. "We have a huge recruiting tool right now," Deere said. "We have the most state-of-the-art hospital in the Midwest." Thursday's event also served as an opportunity for Lund and Director of Workforce Development Becca Cruger to highlight growth and success in Grand Forks. Highlights included Belgian potato processor Agristo's plans to open a $450 million plant in Grand Forks, the temporary bed-down of the 28th Bomb Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base (Lund: "If you think that isn't economic development, ask any hotel owner in Grand Forks") and UND's third-largest class of all time. "That is your future workforce," Cruger said as a picture of the class of 2028 flashed onscreen. Discussing Grand Forks Public Schools' soon-to-open Career Impact Academy, Hall-Jiran reminded Lund of his fundraising request that helped bring the career and technical education center to fruition. "I remember that phone call, Keith," Hall-Jiran told Lund. "You did a great job of asking for a million dollars." EDC primary sector businesses continued to report 10-year increases in employment, average salary and payroll. Payroll from EDC client businesses added $645 million to the region, Lund said, plus another $216 million in company spending, adding up to a regional combined impact of $861 million for the region. The theme of Thursday's event was "Plant and Prosper," in reference to Grand Forks' origins as an agricultural community. "We would not be here as a community, in the fashion we're in, without the agricultural community that supports Grand Forks," EDC Board Chair Shawn Gaddie said. In an acknowledgment of the theme, Gaddie presented past chair John Oncken with a painting of a tractor in a field, rendered in the style of Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night."
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Altru looks to acquire Devils Lake hospital near the end of March
Mar. 15—DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — Altru Health System's acquisition of CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake is tentatively scheduled for the end of March, said Altru CEO Todd Forkel. The business side of the purchase agreement has been agreed to by both Altru and CommonSpirit Health, the owner of the Devils Lake hospital. As CommonSpirit is faith-based, its final step before finalizing the transaction is for the hospital to be taken off the Catholic registry by an office in the Vatican, to Forkel's understanding. "We anticipate receiving word of that approval any day now," he said. Altru and CommonSpirit have been working out the acquisition since it was announced in June 2024. Altru carried out a months-long period of due diligence, collaborating with CommonSpirit to make the change smooth. Altru put its electronic medical record in place and is training staff and providers on how to use its technology. The hospital will be integrated with the nearby Altru clinic in Devils Lake, so information will all be in the same spot for patients, as well as employees. Forkel said he couldn't speak to the price of the hospital, but that it was determined through a market evaluation process and Altru will use its cash reserve in the transaction. Devils Lake Mayor Jim Moe said Altru has visited the city and has met with a potential CEO. Moe said a local resident will be put on the hospital's board of directors, and the CEO will be on some committees in the city. When the transaction has gone through, Devils Lake is planning to hold an event in celebration. "We'll have an open house and a big celebration of all the hard work of all the entities involved to make this successful," he said. The hard work Moe referenced is a yearslong conversation about health care in Devils Lake, which gained traction in 2022 and progressed to public meetings attended by community members, health care leaders and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. In January 2022, then-Devils Lake Mayor Dick Johnson wrote a newspaper op-ed demanding better health care options for the community and the region. In October 2022, the city of Devils Lake, the Spirit Lake Tribe, Altru and Essentia Health signed a letter of intent to work together to create a new medical campus in Devils Lake. This was followed by several community discussions, such as an August 2023 roundtable with Hoeven , where he pressed for progress and expressed frustration with what he said was a lack of conversations with CommonSpirit. In October, Tim Bricker, president of CommonSpirit's Central Region, met with Hoeven and local leaders , which led to a commitment from the health system to make improvements at the hospital. Some of those improvements include emergency room upgrades, which Forkel said are close to being complete. When the transaction goes through and ER renovations are finished, Forkel said Altru is planning to work on a master campus plan for its entire footprint, starting some time in the summer. For Devils Lake, Altru will explore plans for facilities and technology that need updating. With a newly constructed hospital in Grand Forks, a soon-to-be acquired hospital in Devils Lake and plans to create the master campus plan, this year is going to be big for the health system, Forkel said. In regard to Devils Lake, he voiced thanks to Hoeven for his role in conversations about the hospital. "I'd be remiss if I didn't also thank Sen. Hoeven for his influence and desire to help create something new in the Devils Lake market related to health care," he said.
