Hoeven Joins Community Celebration for Acquisition of Devils Lake Hospital, Agreement was Approved by Pope Leo XIV, First American Pope, with Final Transition to Occur March 1

Hoeven Joins Community Celebration for Acquisition of Devils Lake Hospital, Agreement was Approved by Pope Leo XIV, First American Pope, with Final Transition to Occur March 1

Senator Thanks Mayor Moe, Altru, CommonSpirit Health & Entire Community for Efforts to Bring Best Possible Health Care to the Lake Region

DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - Senator John Hoeven today joined officials from Altru Health System and CommonSpirit Health for a community celebration to mark the acquisition of Devils Lake Hospital. Hoeven recognized Devils Lake Mayor Jim Moe, Altru CEO Todd Forkel and President Dr. Josh Deere, CommonSpirit Health Central Region President Tim Bricker, health care professionals and community members from the region for their work to advance this multi-year effort. The agreement was approved by Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, in December and the final transition of ownership will occur on March 1, 2026.

"The acquisition of Devils Lake Hospital is a pivotal milestone in our efforts to bring the best possible health care to the Lake Region. I appreciate the hard work of Mayor Moe and the teams at Altru and CommonSpirit Health to advance this agreement, as well as all of the community members who provided feedback and input as we worked to identify the right solution," said Senator Hoeven.

Specifically, this effort sought to:

• Identify and advance a community-led solution to address local concerns about health care access.
  • Hoeven arranged three community meetings across 2023 and 2024 with local residents, regional leaders and health care providers to gather feedback and address community concerns.
• Secure commitments from CommonSpirit Health to make improvements to the hospital and work towards a long-term solution that benefits the entire region.
  • After the first community meeting, Hoeven met with CommonSpirit Health CEO Wright Lassiter III in Washington, D.C. to advance these priorities.
  • CommonSpirit subsequently undertook a $10 million renovation of the hospital's emergency department.
• Bring a unified health care system to the Lake Region and ensure access to the best possible health care for local residents.
  • Hoeven worked to advance the acquisition agreement between Altru and CommonSpirit Health to the benefit of both patients and health care providers.

"The timing of this acquisition is fitting, as North Dakota has just started moving on its plan to transform rural health care across our state. We've set a goal of securing $1 billion for this initiative, and we're off to a strong start, having secured $200 million in the first year. Updating Critical Access Hospitals like Devils Lake Hospital is a central part of these efforts and one of the reasons our state has a head start, and I believe that we can bring state-of-the-art health care to this region, just as we've done for communities like Rugby, Grafton, Hazen and Cando," said Senator Hoeven.

The efforts to improve health care in the Lake Region align with Hoeven's broader work to advance North Dakota's Rural Health Transformation Program. Earlier this month, Hoeven, along with Governor Armstrong, set a goal to secure $1 billion of federal funding for this initiative. North Dakota has a head start in this competitive program due to its:

• Statewide fiber optic infrastructure, which Hoeven has worked to advance both as governor and now as U.S. Senator, including through initiatives like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ReConnect Program.
• Network of new, state-of-the-art Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
  • Hoeven worked through his role as Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee chairman to advance USDA loans and grants, which along with CAH reimbursement, helped make the new facilities a reality.
  • Hoeven believes a similar model could be used to bring additional improvements to the health care facility in Devils Lake.
• Ability to leverage both telehealth and the CAHs to recruit and retain health care professionals and provide access to a comprehensive continuum of care.
  • That means patients have access to a full range of health care services through hospitals, nursing homes and home care that best meet their needs and individual situation.

-###-