North Shore Health (NSH) recognized a major gap in care for patients needing mental healthcare in the community. Patients were coming into the ER with specialized mental healthcare needs. Kimber Wraalstad, CEO of North Shore Health, believes that North Shore Health needs to be able to offer more than a safe place to stay for patients waiting for advanced care. In Cook County, there are no inpatient facilities for mental health care available.

North Shore Health is pleased to announce the implementation of the Emergency Department TeleMental Health program for our community.

Now, when a patient enters the emergency department at NSH, the staff on site have increased options for help. North Shore Health can connect patients in crisis to Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Chandra White. White has an office on the Iron Range in Minnesota and is very familiar with the north shore and the residents who brave the winters there. By connecting with Chandra, North Shore Health is able to offer their community comprehensive and effective emergency mental healthcare to patients with mental health needs waiting for advanced care.

“We are grateful for this partnership with Chandra White and Wilderness Health to be able to offer expanded service to our patients who come to us for care,” Wraalstad says.

This project is made possible through NSH’s partnerships with Wilderness Health, and Adaptive Telehealth. The Emergency Department TeleMental Health program at North Shore Health began on December 18, 2023, and is available now.

About North Shore Health:

North Shore Health is a rural health facility located on the beautiful north shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, MN. The organization, which is part of the Cook County Hospital District includes a 16-bed critical access hospital, a 37-bed skilled nursing facility, a home health agency, an ambulance service and a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic services. Their mission is “Community Access to Compassionate Care”.

About the Wilderness Health Telehealth Program- The goal of the WH Telehealth Program is to improve access to mental and behavioral health services in Northeastern Minnesota through the use of telehealth.  Using what we’ve learned, we will build sustainable telehealth models that bring primary and specialty care to patients into the future. Telehealth program materials produced by WH are supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $771,000 with 10% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

About Wilderness Health- a non-profit collaborative of independent providers working together to improve rural health care in Northeastern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Headquartered in Two Harbors since 2013, Wilderness Health aims to create a unified and supportive network for its members through its core values of collaboration, independence, networking, and quality.

Wilderness Health Members:

Bigfork Valley Hospital

Community Memorial Hospital

Cook Hospital

Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital

Fairview Range / Range Regional Health Services

Grand Itasca Clinic & Hospital

Lake View Hospital

North Shore Health

St. Luke’s