Virginia Essentia Health Announces Emergency Department Expansion

VIRGINIA, Minn.– Essentia Health has announced a 14-million-dollar expansion and renovation of its emergency room in Virginia.

Right now, the emergency department has seven rooms to care for patients.

But when all is completed within the next year, the facility will double to 14 rooms.

The Virginia hospital has been operating for more than a decade.

Officials say it’s all about continuing to invest for the area’s future health needs.

“This is in many ways the front doors to the hospital. And so about 14,000 patients go through our front doors with their families in a time of need. We’re going to see them quicker, we’re going to get the care team helping them sooner, and they’re just going to have a better experience with an expanded and remodeled emergency room,” said Sam Stone, Administrator for Virginia Essentia Health.

“I would say that this is not a want, this is a necessity. This is a need for the community. We serve about 13,000 people a year and we get ambulance traffic from several different EMS companies. The ability to have more room for is what we’ve been asking for, for our patients. It’s what our patients have been asking for,” said Melissa Devries, Nurse Practitioner at Virginia Essentia Health Emergency Department.

Construction is set to begin this fall.

The hospital will remain open throughout the construction.