Essentia opens at new site Jan. 7

Essentia Health is moving its clinic to a new medical campus in Jamestown. The new clinic will open Jan. 7, next to Jamestown Regional Medical Center. The current clinic will close at noon Jan. 4, to accommodate the move.

With a new clinic, Essentia Health can offer more services and more appointments with local doctors and visiting specialists, said Laura Hovland, the clinic’s manager. A new podiatrist is joining the clinic’s 40-member staff and plans are under way for expanded clinical outreach by Essentia Health cardiologists, oncologists and orthopedic surgeons.

The new clinic is located just off Interstate 94 at the exit for U.S. highways 281 and 52. It has 30 exam rooms, three procedure rooms, a laboratory, imaging services, offices and patient education areas.

Hovland said the 20,500-square-foot clinic was designed to improve care and facilitate communication among health care teams. Other features, such as registration and checkout desks, were built with greater patient privacy in mind.

“We’re not just improving our facility, we’re also seeking to improve the quality of our care,” Hovland said. “We want to improve the personalized care that our patients have come to expect.”

Physicians and staff will share office areas, which will make it easier to communicate and coordinate patient care, said Dr. Scott Rowe, a family medicine doctor. Staff will also work to coordinate clinic appointments with appointments for hospital services, such as physical therapy, so patients just have to make one trip, he said.

The clinic and hospital are connected by a hallway. Instead of duplicating services, such as mammograms, and equipment, such as a CAT scan, the clinic is partnering with the hospital when possible.

“We’re here to support our community hospital and save money for our patients,” Hovland said.

“We can work with the hospital instead of competing with the hospital,” Rowe said. “That makes it easier for patients and makes the hospital more successful.”

In addition to signing a long-term lease for its clinic to be located on the Jamestown Regional Medical Center campus, Essentia Health invested an estimated $1.9 million in the construction, new equipment, technology and furnishings in the new clinic.

While the clinic’s address is changing to 2430 20th St. SW, its phone number and hours remain the same. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For appointments, call 701-235-5300.

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