Catholic Health Initiatives and St. Alexius Medical Center Sign Letter of Intent

Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and St. Alexius Medical Center announced today they have signed a nonbinding agreement to form a new affiliation between CHI and St. Alexius Medical Center.

CHI and St. Alexius are pursuing the affiliation to build on their strengths in rural and faith-based care to better serve communities in the region through enhanced services and improved coordination of care.

If a final agreement is reached, the creation of this new affiliation could occur by the end of the year.

“This partnership would ensure a viable, innovative, high-quality care option for residents in light of health care reform and other changes in the region,” said Jeffrey Drop, senior vice president, Fargo Division, Catholic Health Initiatives.

Gary P. Miller, St. Alexius Medical Center president and CEO said, “CHI and St. Alexius have a longstanding history of working together. Our organizations are guided by our mission to nurture the church’s healing ministry. We are pleased to pursue an opportunity with a provider who shares our commitment to meeting the Catholic health needs of our region as well as being an advocate for the most vulnerable members we serve.”

CHI and St. Alexius will now take time for due diligence assessment and work toward a binding agreement for forming the affiliation. 

Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, expresses its mission each day by creating and nurturing healthy communities in the hundreds of sites across the nation where it provides care. One  of the nation’s largest health systems, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI operates in 18 states and comprises 87 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals and 24 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; homehealth agencies; and other facilities that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. In fiscal year 2013, CHI provided $762 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. Learn more at www.catholichealthinitiatives.org

St. Alexius Medical Center, headquartered in Bismarck, ND, is a 306-bed; full-service, acute care medical center offering a full line of inpatient and outpatient medical services, including primary and specialty physician clinics; home health and hospice services; durable medical equipment services and a fitness and human performance center. Since its founding in 1885, St. Alexius Medical Center has been dedicated to serving the residents of central and western North Dakota, northern South Dakota and eastern Montana. Besides the main campus located in Bismarck, ND, St. Alexius owns and operates hospitals and clinics in Garrison, ND and Turtle Lake, ND and manages the hospital and clinics owned by Mobridge Regional Hospital in Mobridge, SD. St. Alexius also owns and operates a primary care clinic in Mandan, ND and specialty and primary care clinic in Minot, ND. St. Alexius Medical Center is a Roman Catholic organization whose sponsors are the Benedictine Sisters of the Annunciation Monastery, Bismarck, ND.