Essentia Health offers virtual care options during winter storms

DULUTH, Minn. — After a recent blizzard blew through the Northland, some businesses closed due to the heavy snowfall. But one business that never shuts down is a hospital.

At Essentia Health, nurses and doctors are ready for whatever emergency comes their way during winter storms. For some patients, though, it can be too difficult to travel in the bad weather. That’s where E-visits become essential with 24/7 virtual visits.

“We want to make sure that everybody stays safe when the weather is poor, like it is today and likely will be tomorrow. So we want to make sure our patients are staying safe, and if that means staying home, we have ways of meeting their needs,” said Christie Erickson, Nurse Practitioner and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Essentia Health.

When the forecast calls for extreme weather, Essentia has ways to get ahead of the storm.

“A lot of folks will see messages coming to them via my chart, or they’ll be getting phone calls from our team reaching out to look at, you know, the opportunity of switching it to a virtual visit,” said Christie Erickson.

While Essentia’s hospital and emergency departments will never close, some of its clinics may close or experience delays. Their main priority is keeping patients safe.