Hoeven: Dickinson's St. Joseph's Hospital And Richardton Memorial Hospital Sign MOU

Press Release

Hoeven: Dickinson's St. Joseph's Hospital And Richardton Memorial Hospital Sign MOU

Gov. John Hoeven today announced that Catholic Health Initiatives, owner of St. Joseph's Hospital in Dickinson, and Richardton Memorial Hospital have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The agreement paves the way for St. Joseph's to acquire federal Critical Access Hospital (CAH) status from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and for Richardton Memorial to become a skilled nursing facility.

"This will help to ensure that access to quality healthcare remains available to residents of southwest North Dakota," Hoeven said. "We appreciate the work of everyone involved on the local, state and federal levels for their commitment to the people of both communities."

The MOU between administrators of the two facilities emerged from a task force Hoeven and the congressional delegation organized last May headed by State Health Officer Terry Dwelle and composed of CMS officials, officials of the N.D. Department of Human Services, healthcare professionals, local elected officials, and other community leaders.

The task force has been working with the two communities to arrive at a mutually agreeable arrangement whereby Richardton Memorial Hospital would relinquish its Critical Access designation and convert to an assisted living and skilled nursing facility, making St. Joseph's Hospital eligible for the Critical Access Hospital designation.

Under federal rules, a provider applying for Critical Access hospital designation must be located more than 35 miles from another critical access hospital. Currently, Richardton Memorial Hospital holds the CAS designation and would have to convert to a different kind of healthcare provider in order for St. Joseph's in Dickinson to be named a Critical Access hospital.

Under the terms of the agreement, Catholic Health Initiatives has agreed to provide a $500,000 grant to assist the community of Richardton as they convert Richardton Memorial from an acute-care hospital to a skilled-nursing facility. The MOU also provides for financing and other assistance from the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the Bank of North Dakota to help Richardton Memorial make the conversion. In addition, last month the congressional delegation secured a federal grant to assist Richardton Memorial with its transition to a skilled nursing facility.

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