Vision Northland Project At Essentia Health Nearly Complete

DULUTH, Minn. — A $900 million project is nearing completion at Essentia Health after over 3 years of construction.

The Vision Northland Project, which is the new Essentia St. Mary’s Medical Center is about 98% done. Plans are being made to occupy the 19-story building, as there are just a few things left to do.

The 942,000 square foot hospital will have state-of-the-art medical facilities and will enhance patient and staff experience.

“We’re really excited to have this project reach substantial completion. We’re really proud of all the teams working on the project,” said Dan Cebelinski, Director of Facility for Essentia. “To bring this project in on time and on budget is a great feat especially through a pandemic.”

The next step in the project is to get the Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Duluth. That will allow them to start moving equipment into the building and get it ready for patients.

“You know we really want them to have a world-class experience when they come in. You know and sometimes it isn’t how we practice, but what is said or how they feel, the patients. So, we want them to feel good about their experience even though they may have an illness or a challenge that they are working with their healthcare provider team with,” said Dr. Robert Erickson, Physician Lead for the project.

And here’s more good news as most streets surrounding the building will open back up at the end of March. The Vision Northland Project is expected to open up to patients in around 5 to 6 months.