Our country’s health system is broken. It is unaffordable and inaccessible for too many and hasn’t evolved to meet today’s care needs and opportunities. We can no longer do business as usual. To do so would be a disservice to our people, patients, and community. 

Fairview Health Services is committed to improving the health of St. Paul and the wider East Metro, as a healthcare provider and an anchor in the community. Over the last few years, we have taken several important steps forward to realize our bold vision to bring breakthrough care to more people while supporting health equity in the communities we serve. In the East Metro, these steps included a realignment of our locations and services to better meet the community’s evolving needs – a process that is informed by far-reaching research and hundreds of conversations with community members, patients, partners and our employees. 

Part of that plan involved reimagining the evolving St. Joseph’s Campus in St. Paul as a one-stop Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub for services and resources, focused on accessible, affordable, and equitable healthcare, while addressing the social determinants of health – factors like access to healthy food and community connection that, when lacking, can contribute to poor health. 

Together with Acadia Healthcare, we are building a state-of-the-art, 144-bed inpatient mental health hospital at the former site of Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul. Importantly, no patient will be denied access to care at this facility based on their ability to pay.

“Achieving this transformation requires change, and change is both exciting and difficult,” said James Hereford, Fairview Health Services President and CEO. “Together, we will rise to meet this moment in order to create healthcare that is more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Healthcare that makes our community better, for everyone, today and long into the future.”