CHI St. Alexius Health Williston
At CHI St. Alexius Health, we aren’t just treating patients - we are caring for our family, friends and neighbors. We were created in uncertain times to provide health care throughout the decades. Today, our legacy continues by offering Williston’s first cancer center, pediatric clinic, neurology clinic and so much more.
- October 16, 1920 - Over 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu Pandemic revealed the communities desperate need for a hospital. In 1920, the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Williston and opened the doors to Mercy Hospital.
- 1920 - The first hospital provided accommodations for 20 acute care patient beds, an operating room and a few ancillary services.
- 1923 - Within a month after the arrival of the Sisters in Williston in 1920, young women began to present themselves as candidates for a nursing program. A program for registered nurses officially began in 1923 and graduated the first 7 nurses in 1926.
- 1929 - Good Samaritan hospital opened - another 27 beds.
- 1930 - Mercy Hospital’s 4th Floor expansion was opened with an additional 27 beds.
- The ‘Dirty Thirties’ caused major agricultural damage to local crops due to droughts.
- 1952 - Mercy Hospital admitted 3,001 patients and provided out-patient aid to 2,014 patients.
- 1953 - To meet the growing need of the community during the 1950’s oil boom, Mercy Hospital dedicated a new four-story addition on the north side of the hospital to provide 36 additional beds.
- 1955 - A donation from the Ford Foundation affords a new X-ray machine.
- 1974 - The hospital opened its current facility (on the western edge of the city).
- 1976 - Remodeling and new construction for more patient care areas and service lines.
- 1979 - The American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the European Society of Clinical pharmacy were formed.
- 1979 - The Hospital Auxiliary sponsored the first cardiac capers to raise needed funds for the cardiac care unit.
- 1980 - Edward J. Hagan, Jr. MD, John Craven, MD and Joseph Craven, MD moved their primary care clinic into the Medical Office Building on the Medical Center Campus.
- 1982 - Mercy Hospital began offering Orthopedic surgery
- 1983 - Mercy Hospital became Mercy Medical Center and created the Foundation, MedQuest and the Institute for Sports Medicine as new corporate susidiaries.
- Edward Hagan, MD, John Craven, MD and Joseph Craven, MD, began a primary care clinic in the hospital.
- 1985 - Newly renovated areas (ER, OB, Medical Surgery/ICU) were unveiled.
- 1996 - Mercy Medical Center acquired Craven Hagan Clinic
- 1996 - Catholic Health Initiatives was formed through the joining together of four national Catholic health care systems. The Sisters of Mercy (Omaha Region) were a driving force in the planning that began in 1995, as Catholic health leaders began to explore strengthening community health care for the future.
- 2000 - OB units relocated – single room maternity available
- 2008 - Due to advances in healthcare, by 2008 hospital stays were much shorter resulting in the hospital restructuring to become a Critical Access Hospital designation. A reduction in the number of days a patient stays in the hospital decreases the risk of infection and medication side effects and improvement in the quality of treatment.
- 2012 to 2014 - Mercy Hospital broke ground on Birthplace/Ambulatory surgery Center, Leonard P. Nelson Cancer Center opened, and specialty and rehab services expanded to the 2020 building.
- 2013 - The Leonard P. Nelson Cancer Center, the first and only cancer center in the community, opened in newly renovated space.
- 2014 - The 20/20 building opened to expand specialty services in the community. Today the 20/20 building is home to General Surgery, Neurology, Orthopedics, Rehab Services and Speech Therapy!
- 2016 - Mercy Medical Center joined St. Alexius Health in Bismarck under one name CHI St. Alexius Health.
- 2019 - The Birthplace opened and welcomed 956 babies – doubling the number of births compared to 10 years prior.
- 2019 - Catholic Health Initiatives joined with Dignity Health to become CommonSpirit Health – the largest non-profit health care system in the U.S.
- January 2020 - Heather Hass and Chelsea Smith, Certified Nurse Midwives, joined CHI St. Alexius Health – doubling the Women’s Health Clinic team!
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March 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic impacted health care in Williston and across the world resulting in:
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The cancellation of non-emergent elective surgeries
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No visitor policy
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Universal masking policy
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Employee/Vendor screening
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Visitor screening
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April 2020 - Virtual clinic appointments were available for the first time at CHI St. Alexius Health! For patients looking for virtual clinic appointment options with a local provider, via Zoom, we are only one click away.
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May 2020 - CHI St. Alexius Health partnered with Psychiatrist, David Lopez, MD to provide telemedicine services for patients needing care.
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June 2020 - CHI St. Alexius Health partnered with SkinWin Dermatology, to provide a clinic space for their independent practice in the Craven-Hagan building.
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Summer 2020 - Andrew McCoy, MD and Anna Wolf, FNP-C will join the CHI St. Alexius Health team!
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Fall 2020 - Nguimfack, Ines A. Teuma, MD will join the CHI St. Alexius Health team!