Latest news with #AltruHealthSystem
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
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.
