When Sanford Health was trying to decide where to put its next clinic, the decision wasn’t too hard. All they had to do was count the new rooftops.
That’s why they opened their latest family practice clinic in the Veterans Square mall.
“It wasn’t too hard, because it was pretty intuitive to where the growth is happening,” Susan Jarvis, Sanford’s vice president for operations in Fargo, said Tuesday, June 25. “This is the largest area of growth for our community. It’s just going south and west.”
The 6,000-square-foot Sanford Veterans Square Clinic has been open since June 10. The services are focused on family practice and pediatrics, with imaging and laboratory services on site.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is set for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27. An open house and tours will follow.
The location should be primed for success, given the swarm of Fargo and West Fargo housing developments in the area, and the West Fargo School District’s nearby Independence Elementary, Liberty Middle School and Sheyenne High School.
Sanford both owns and leases buildings for its more than 40 clinics in the Fargo-Moorhead metro area, Jarvis said. But beyond it’s Profile by Sanford weight loss outlets, this is the first medical clinic in a leased strip mall space.
“This is kind of our first adventure into a retail mall,” she said. “We’re calling it our ‘rooftop clinic in the communities.'”
The Veterans Square clinic has 17 examination rooms and a room for minor surgical procedures.
It is also designed for “self rooming” patient intake, much like Sanford’s Moorhead Clinic. Patients are welcomed at a kiosk, where they are given a tag and assigned a room to wait. The patient then goes to the room and the tag alerts the nurse and providers that the patient is there.
“That’s kind of using technology for patient privacy. It’s very popular at the Moorhead clinic,” Jarvis said.
That intake model will continue to expand, Jarvis said, adding that it also is a more efficient use of clinic space.
An on-call provider is also available for same-day appointments and walk-in patients, she said.
The providers include:
Drs. Carla Grossoli and Jennifer Mullally, who specialize in children’s and women’s health;
Drs. Patricia Laqua and (starting in August) Jenny Brottlund, who specialize in family and women’s health, including obstetrical care.
Certified Nurse Practitioner Natalie Aughinbaugh, who specializes in children’s and women’s health;
CNP and Certified Nurse Midwife Sara Hansen
CNP Autumn Nelson, who specializes in children’s health
Jarvis said the emphasis on family health in a clinic is unique, and right for the area.
“It’s one of the strategies that we think is very important for the Fargo-Moorhead community,” she said.
