Essentia Health to boost ICU capacity at new Duluth hospital

DULUTH — Essentia Health announced Friday its intention to include additional intensive care capacity in the new St. Mary's Medical Center now under construction downtown.

The 17th floor of the structure had not yet been dedicated to a specific use, but will now house hospital rooms that are ICU-ready at a time when the pandemic has stretched the Northland's care capacity.

"We anticipate the health care needs of Northlanders to increase in the future, and we want to be ready for that demand," Dr. Robert Erickson, Essentia's physician lead for the Vision Northland project, said in a written statement. "With that in mind, we decided it was better to get the 17th floor fitted now and be prepared to handle an increase in patients when the time comes."

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