CommonSpirit Health and Altru Health System Announce Transition of CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake to Altru

Grand Forks, N.D. - CommonSpirit Health and Altru Health System today announced the transition of ownership of CHI St. Alexius Health Devils Lake to Altru Health System, marking an important milestone in securing strong, local access to care for the Devils Lake region community. The transition will occur on March 1, 2026. 

“This transition reflects our shared commitment to ensuring rural communities have access to high-quality, sustainable healthcare close to home,” said Todd Forkel, CEO of Altru. “We are honored to welcome Devils Lake Hospital into the Altru family and to further our commitment to expanding healthcare for the residents of the Lake Region.” 

“This is an important moment for the Devils Lake community,” said Tim Bricker, President of CommonSpirit Health’s Central Region. “This transition reflects a thoughtful, community-focused approach to ensuring long-term access to care while supporting the teams who serve patients every day. The Devils Lake community has been incredibly patient throughout this process, and we are pleased to reach this final stage.” 

The transition of the hospital in Devils Lake to Altru was a collaborative effort supported by many federal, state and local leaders aimed to strengthen healthcare in the community by bringing clinic and hospital services together. 

“We appreciate Altru and CommonSpirit for joining with us in this effort and for reaching agreement on the future of healthcare at the Devils Lake Hospital. Altru does a tremendous job and will provide quality healthcare for the entire Lake Region,” said Senator John Hoeven. “This is the result of tremendous collaboration. We thank Devils Lake Mayor Moe, Altru CEO Todd Forkel, Altru President Josh Deere, MD, CommonSpirit Health Central Region President Tim Bricker, and everyone in the community who worked with us to identify solutions to the region’s healthcare needs and make this agreement a reality.” 

Altru’s 130-year legacy in the region and its multidisciplinary clinic already serving Devils Lake make the organization well positioned to deliver coordinated inpatient and outpatient care. The completed transition ensures long-term stability for the community and reinforces both organizations’ commitment to sustaining rural healthcare.