Sanford gets aggressive in Bismarck, N.D., plans new hospital

Sanford Health is building a new hospital in Bismarck, North Dakota, as the growing health care system expands its regional footprint, according to a Wednesday announcement from the health care system.

Sanford has been aggressive about growing its presence in Bismarck. The Sioux Falls-based system lost an anti-trust case this summer after a judge blocked a proposed merger with another Bismarck medical provider.

Sanford now has plans to build a heart hospital in downtown Bismarck, next to the medical center Sanford already operates in North Dakota's capital city.

"We have spent the past five years establishing a comprehensive heart program focused on quality outcomes, increasing access across central and western North Dakota and advancing technology and procedures," Sanford Health in Bismarck President Dr. Michael LeBeau said in an online statement. “Combining those efforts in a new heart hospital will significantly improve access for patients and provide our heart team with all of the resources they need to care for these patients under one roof.”

Sanford has grown its heart health staff in Bismarck during the last 15 years, according to the announcement.