Essentia Health and Brightside Surgical partner to grow local surgical services

Essentia Health and Brightside Surgical, an ambulatory surgery center in Bismarck, are now shared owners of Brightside Surgical. The goal of the partnership is to enhance access to surgical care in the Bismarck-Mandan community.

"Both organizations see considerable opportunities to expand patient care and surgical capabilities under this partnership," says Dr. Rebecca Swenson, a general surgeon at Brightside Surgical. "This connection with Essentia Health opens the door to growing our community's access to specialty surgical care in an outpatient setting."

Brightside Surgical will continue to be operated locally with its current surgeons and care teams. This partnership applies only to Brightside Surgical and not Brightside Specialty Clinics. Brightside Specialty Clinics, a multi-specialty clinic primarily located at 310 N. 10th St. in Bismarck, will remain independent.

"Essentia appreciates the opportunity to continue to build upon our commitment to the Bismarck-Mandan area and rural communities in central and western North Dakota," says Dr. Stefanie Gefroh, who serves as Essentia's interim president for its North Dakota and western Minnesota footprint. "Since Mid Dakota Clinic joined Essentia in late 2022, we have recruited more than a dozen new providers to our Mid Dakota Bismarck locations. This new partnership allows us to extend that dedication by bringing stability and growth in surgical services to the region."

Dr. Andrew Knudsen, an Essentia Health physician leader and podiatrist, currently serves patients within Essentia Health-Mid Dakota Bismarck and at Brightside Surgical. "This is a win for the community and will allow us to expand surgical specialty services to meet our patients' needs while improving already excellent care," says Dr. Knudsen.