Altru is a community of nearly 3,500 employees and providers, and we’ve
been committed to caring for our region for more than 130 years. Serving
over 230,000 residents in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota,
we offer a wide array of services to meet the needs of community members
of all ages and levels of health.
Mission
Improving Health, Enriching Life.
Vision
Deliver world-class healthcare to the residents of our region.
Values
Our Patients: Meeting the needs and expectations of our patients is our highest priority.
Our Care: We provide quality care that is demonstrated to achieve the best results
for patients.
Our Team: We work as a team and treat each other with honesty, loyalty and respect.
Our Communities: We are committed to improving the health of our communities.
A Message from Our CEO & President
In the fast-paced world of health care, Altru is committed to transforming
care in our region. Our team continually evolves to best fulfill our mission,
guide our culture of engagement and ensure our long-term success.
While change is constant, a few things never change - like our commitment
to continuous, incremental improvement to ensure we deliver high-quality
care for generations to come.
As we
wrap up another year, it’s a time to be grateful for what we have and to reflect on the
good things 2022 brought us.
We are proud of our accomplishments, confident in our strategy, and, frankly,
inspired by our extraordinary employees. Our team is focused on providing
the best care for all our friends, family and neighbors, 24-7, 365 days
a year. Our patients remain at the center of every decision we make. We
are all here for one purpose, and that is to take care of people.
The growth & improvement Altru is committed to, including our new hospital
project, expanded regional care and a commitment to achieve a 5-star quality
rating, means our patients can remain close to home for outstanding care.
- Todd Forkel, CEO & Dr. Josh Deere, President
Todd Forkel
Dr. Deere
Quick Facts
New Hospital Update
Altru’s new hospital is an investment in our community’s healthcare
and is an important component of Altru’s commitment as the region’s
health system. It provides opportunities for more advanced care for our
patients and a modern working environment for our teams. The investment
in a new hospital means our patients can remain close to home for world-class care.
January 1, 2022 – 12% completed
January 31, 2022 – 45% completed
New hospital construction highlights:
Resumed structural steel erection after the COVID-19 pandemic pause and
completed the seven stories
Mostly enclosed by the end of 2022
Construction of interior framing was started
Surpassed having 300 workers onsite on a given day
According to the American Hospital Association, each hospital job adds
nearly two additional jobs in the community. Every dollar a hospital spends
supports $2.30 of additional business activity.
New Hospital Economic Impact in 2022
Estimated values for the direct community impact of the Altru New Hospital
project. A formal study was not completed.
$104M worth of work completed on the new hospital during 2022
$60M in revenue was generated for businesses in the greater Grand Forks area
Over 280 individuals/families had direct income because of this project
Community
Community Health Assessment
Altru has engaged multiple partners to conduct our Community Health Assessments,
which provide information on health issues, status, and needs and identify
areas for improvement. The purpose of the assessments has been to “Improve
the overall health of the community by focusing on factors that promote
health and wellness (versus treating disease).” The Community Health
Assessment is a joint effort led by Altru Health System and the Grand
Forks Public Health Department. Our two organizations have a history of
collaboration to improve community health.
The Community Health Assessment is a joint effort led by Altru Health System
and Grand Forks Public Health. Our two organizations have a history of
collaboration to improve community health. Together, we engaged multiple
partners to conduct the assessment, which provides information on health
issues, status, and needs and identifies areas for improvement. Our assessment
work provides the backbone for our Community Health Improvement Plan &
Implementation Strategy Report.
Altru Health System strives to achieve and sustain high-quality, equitable,
and culturally sensitive patient-centered care by creating a culture of
inclusion focused on continuous improvement and accountability and engaging
diverse leaders, employees, and learners.
Altru’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI Committee)
was founded in January 2021 after key Altru leaders were trained by our
Mayo Clinic Care Network partners in December 2020.
In 2022, the DEI Committee shifted its focus to education in the areas
of safe patient care and employee engagement. This prompted the establishment
of two subcommittees: namely the Health Equity and LGBTQ+ Subcommittees.
Areas of Focus:
Workforce
Patient Experience and Safety
Partnerships, Community Health and Engagement
Altru Health Foundation At-A-Glance
As we welcomed new leadership at the executive level, our community watched
in awe as hospital construction accelerated and changed the skyline of
our city for generations to come. This same energy and acceleration was
felt and demonstrated through philanthropy. Over 5,400 donors generously
came together to raise a record-breaking $4.1 million, impacting nearly
every corner of Altru and our community. Here are just a few highlights:
Funded in part by the generosity of Altru employees, a new guest services
shuttle was added to our hospitality fleet.
Twenty-five Altru employees received over $20,000 in continuing education
scholarships.
Blue Zones Project launched in Grand Forks and a corresponding Worksite
Wellness Project is underway at Altru.
A first of its kind, the Sensory Life Project was formed to support patients
and families navigating sensory processing difficulties with assistance,
tools, therapeutic interventions, and education.
Tens of thousands of dollars were provided through patient assistance programs
like Filling the Gap, Caring for Kids, Spin for Kids, prescription assistance
and charitable care
Altru is continually committed to innovations in medicine. We are always
searching for innovative ways to deliver world-class care to our patients,
and we are fortunate to have passionate providers who are always searching
for cutting-edge technologies to provide their patients with the best
outcomes. Here are Innovation in Medicine summaries from Drs. Seeger,
Gardner and Go.
Innovation in Medicine: Altru Cancer Center
Altru Cancer Center has been on the cutting edge of cancer treatment for
many years. In 2009, we revolutionized the way we treat tumors with radiation.
Our TomoTherapy allowed us to send radiation to a tumor while protecting
the surrounding healthy tissue.
In 2020, Altru made another investment in our cancer care with the installation
of the Radixact X9 helical linear accelerator, allowing for even more
exact treatment of tumors. We use artificial intelligence (AI) to track
a tumor in patients with lung cancer, for example. The AI predicts and
synchronizes the patient’s breathing and directs radiation to the
tumor. A photon beam locks onto the tumor’s position and can deliver
precise treatment, even if a patient moves. This treatment significantly
spares normal lung tissue compared to traditional lung radiation treatments,
leading to fewer post-radiation issues in patients. We are also using
Radixact for stereotactic prostate cancer treatment.
Altru Cancer Center was the first in North Dakota to invest in this lifesaving
technology. We will continue to lead the way in cancer care innovation.
Innovation in Medicine: Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
Since 2016, Altru Orthopedics & Sports Medicine has been performing
robotic assisted hip and knee replacements, and we are still the only
hospital in North Dakota to have this technology. We have performed over
3,000 robotic hip and knee replacements, which places us near the top
of the list for the entire upper Midwest. This technology allows us to
be very precise and fit the implant accurately to the patient’s
anatomy, which improves early recovery and patient satisfaction with the
entire joint replacement.
In early 2022, Dr. Reed Lambert joined our Orthopedics & Sports Medicine
team, and he has been a great addition. In addition to performing robotic
assisted joint replacement, Dr. Lambert also takes trauma call. He’s
fully invested in the Grand Forks community where he will be a great asset
to our community and region. I’m confident Dr. Lambert and his family
will be here for many years.
The most frequent complaint we hear about Orthopedics is the difficulty
of getting an appointment in a timely fashion, so we’ve eliminated
the need for appointments and started the Ortho Express Injury Clinic.
We now have walk-in service Monday through Friday until 7:00 p.m. with
no appointment necessary. It is set up so patients have an alternative
route for acute injuries instead of going to the ER. Staffed by our experienced
Nurse Practitioners, this clinic has been quite successful.
Innovation in Medicine: Heart & Vascular
In 2019, Altru Heart & Vascular Services launched the TAVR (transcatheter
aortic valve replacement) program. This program allows us to treat patients
with severe aortic stenosis, or narrowing of a heart valve, while they
are fully awake and without the need for open heart surgery. This greatly
improves our patients’ experience after the procedure. Formerly
with open heart surgery, there was a five to seven-day hospital stay and
up to six months before full recovery. With TAVR, our patients are experiencing
a one to two-day hospital stay and back to full recovery after about one week.
Also in 2019, we started implanting Watchman in some of our patients. The
Watchman is a permanent device placed during a one-time procedure; Watchman
reduces the risk of stroke in patients who are unable to take blood thinner
medications due to a high bleeding risk. The reduction in the risk for
stroke from Watchman is comparable to taking blood thinner medications
but without the risk of bleeding.
Altru also has been doing PFO closures. This is a procedure done to close
a “patent foramen ovale.” A PFO is a “hole in the heart”
that is present at birth, which in some patients, can lead to a stroke.
In this specific population, closing the PFO prevents further strokes.
This procedure is also done with minimal sedation only.
More recently in October 2022, Altru Cardiology launched a Heart Failure
Outpatient infusion clinic. This clinic allows us to provide intermediate
care for patients with a diagnosis of congestive heart failure without
a readmission to the hospital or a visit to the ER. Likewise, we also
offer the CardioMEMS device, which is an implantable monitor that allows
for real-time monitoring and optimizes diuretic therapy for patients with
severe heart failure and whose kidney function may be sensitive to diuretic
adjustments.
Altru Cardiology is also the first cardiac program in the state to offer
CT-FFR, which is a state-of-the-art imaging tool that assesses coronary
artery “blockage” without the need for an invasive angiogram.
Care. For One Another.
When you walk in the doors of Altru Health System, you are in the presence
of people who care deeply about your well-being. It is our mission to
improve health and enrich life. We want you to have the best experience
possible every time you seek care from Altru.
You are why we’re here. You are what matters. You always come first.
Altru’s new hospital is an investment in our community’s healthcare
and is an important component of Altru’s commitment as the region’s
health system. It provides opportunities for more advanced care for our
patients and a modern working environment for our teams. The investment
in a new hospital means our patients can remain close to home for world-class care.
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