Health professionals and patients rejoice over the opening of the new Trinity Hospital

Minot, North Dakota – It’s official: the emergency room and new hospital for Trinity Health in southwest Minot have opened.

On Sunday morning, the provider started transferring patients from the previous hospital to the new one.

The transfer of 59 patients from the outdated hospital in the city center to the brand-new, 800,000-square-foot medical campus in southwest Minot on Sunday morning marked the start of a new era for Trinity Health and, in fact, the entire Minot area.

Grace Burckhard, who had been hospitalized for about a month with pneumonia, was one of the patients being transported by a rotating schedule of ambulances, which traveled more than 500 kilometers overall. Grace was worried about the trip, according to her father Kevin, but the crew did everything they could to make her feel at ease.

”Eight or nine days into this we thought… we didn’t know for sure she’d get to come home, and now we’re pretty confident that she’ll come home,” said Kevin Burckhard.

The more than 740 staff members and volunteers who participated were recognized for their efforts by the transport team leadership.

“It went very smooth, so many hands on deck,” said Amy Thomas, with the transport team.

”Patients were getting off the ambulance with a big smile on their face,” said Amy Bergrude, with the transport team.

Honoring new life as well. The last baby born at the heritage hospital was Marlee AndiJo Pierson.

”A lot of us here were born there and to be the last one is kind of a cool thing, 101 years of Trinity being around,” said Mark Pierson, Marlee’s father.

”Not only got to be at the old hospital to be there, but also got to be part of the transferring process today,” said Tiffany Pierson, Marlee’s mother.

The first baby born at the new hospital was Lily Violet Rose Freeman.

”That’s something she can lord over people’s heads in the future. This facility is so fancy and spacious with all the windows and everything, so I think with the first few days of just sunlight coming through, she’s gonna be a sunshine kind of gal,” said Chyna Moolenaar, Lily’s mother.

”It not only provides our patients with the most up-to-date care, it provides us as providers with what we need to care for our patients,” said Dr. Jessie Fauntleroy, OB/GYN who delivered Lily.

”Great healthcare is now being done in a state-of-the-art facility, which is probably at this point in time the most state-of-the-art hospital in this country,” said Dr. Jeffrey Sather, medical director of the Emergency Trauma Center.

A new day for Magic City’s healthcare system.

Trinity Health might expand further in the future. According to information provided to your News Leader, there are 32 acres of land surrounding the new site that might be used for expansion. Later this summer, more doctors and physicians will also be joining the Trinity Health team.