Fargo hospitals increasing emergency room space

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Fargo's largest hospital has opened up seven new emergency rooms and another local hospital is planning to expand its emergency services.

Sanford Health officials say a $1.7 million expansion and renovation project has doubled the capacity the emergency center was designed to handle.

Officials say the addition has resulted in a more efficient suite of 27 emergency rooms to better handle almost 60,000 patient visits a year.

Sanford's emergency center is one of the busiest in the tri-state region, and sees almost twice as many patients as Sanford's hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Officials at Essentia Health in Fargo tell the Forum that its 19-room emergency department also is experiencing an increase in visits, and there are plans to increase the capacity to as many as 35 rooms.

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