Essentia Health: Investing in our communities

Essentia Health is a nonprofit, integrated health system headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. We serve our patients and communities through our mission of being called to make a healthy difference in people's lives. We know our mission must extend beyond the walls of our clinics and hospitals to ensure the health of our cherished communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota.

Our unwavering support for our patients and communities is rooted in collaborative partnerships, research and innovation, workforce development and charitable giving. This report offers a glimpse of our commitment to health equity and the well-being of the people we're privileged to serve, especially in the rural communities we hold dear.

Investing in our communities

Year ending June 30, 2024

$490.8 million

The total value of our community contributions

This includes community benefits, as defined by the Catholic Health Association, and other contributions, such as care provided without compensation.

$177.9 million in community benefits:

$11.6 million in charity care

$9.6 million for community building activities and services

$5.6 million for health professions education

$1.1 million for research

$116.7 million for costs in excess of Medicaid payments

$33.3 million for Medicaid surcharge and MNCare tax

$312.9 million in other contributions:

$260.2 million for costs in excess of Medicare payments

$37.8 million for other care provided without compensation

$7.9 million for discounts offered to uninsured patients

$7 million for taxes and fees

Why we invest in our communities

We are committed to investing in the health and well-being of the communities we serve, which is part of our role as a nonprofit health care organization.

Why nonprofit health care matters

Unlike for-profit health care entities, such as pharmaceutical companies, Essentia depends on our nonprofit status to sustain and grow our services while providing high-quality care to rural and underserved communities.

Here to serve the places we call home

Essentia's virtual access point brings health care directly to students in Valley City, North Dakota

Proud to partner with Jasmin Child Care and Preschool

Supporting good health through affordable housing

A commitment to training physicians for rural communities

Community health workers build relationships while supporting patients

In 2024, we were honored by the American Hospital Association (AHA) with the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award for our commitment to improving community health through our Resourceful program. In some cases, Resourceful is a lifeline — connecting people to essential resources like food, transportation and housing — in the communities we’re privileged to serve. Discover more at WeAreResourceful.org.