Council approves zoning change that allows proposed for-profit micro hospital after heated public hearing

Minot'City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to accept the planning commission's recommendation to rezone a parcel that a developer has said is intended for a for-profit micro hospital, advancing the proposal to the next permitting stages.

The vote followed more than an hour of public testimony in which Trinity Health leaders urged the council to delay rezoning while nurses, residents and business leaders said a second hospital would improve access and relieve strain at the existing facility.

John Cutts, president and CEO of Trinity Health in Minot, asked the council to pause the rezoning so the community and local emergency services could fully evaluate the implications of a for-profit micro hospital.

"This is a significant decision with far reaching implications and consequences," Cutts said. "There are numerous unknowns and questions that need to be addressed in order to fully understand the necessity, benefits, and overall value proposition to our community."

Cutts said Trinity Health has made large, local investments and that prior experiences in other communities showed some for-profit providers withdraw after reaching financial goals. Dr. Scott Knutson, chief of staff at Trinity Health, and Ben Anderson, Trinity's chief nursing officer, said staffing shortages and transfer burdens on emergency medical services would worsen if a new facility draws clinicians and routine transfers away from the regional trauma center.

"Bringing another institution into this town to meet that need actually does not answer the problem," Knutson said, describing internal initiatives Trinity has underway to reduce emergency department wait times.

Supporters of the rezoning said a second hospital would shorten travel and waiting times, serve North Minot and the Air Force Base, and create jobs and new tax revenue. Alyssa Bach, a nurse who said she works both in smaller rural hospitals and at a trauma center in Bismarck, said a second facility would save critical minutes in time-sensitive emergencies.

"A second facility will improve health outcomes, faster access to emergency care," Bach said. "Fifteen minutes across town'that can mean life or death for stroke or cardiac events."

Resident Travis Zablotny and other speakers said competition would improve care, and Brent Mattson, representing a local business perspective, urged the council to protect Trinity Health but said competition is not inappropriate.

Councilmembers repeatedly noted that the item before them was a zoning request, not a regulatory decision about health care delivery. Alderman Lisa Olsen said she had reservations about the micro hospital but that the council's legal role was limited to the land-use question.

The motion on the floor was to close the public hearing and accept the planning commission recommendation. The motion was moved by Alderman Mike and seconded by Alderman Paul and passed unanimously. The council did not adopt any delay or additional study requirement as part of the approval.

Next steps for the property will include site-specific permitting, building plan review and any state licensure or approvals required for medical facilities; those processes were discussed in public comments but were not decided by the council at Tuesday's meeting.

Speakers listed in the record included representatives of the applicant, local medical leaders, residents and council members. The city staff noted the rezoning request conformed to the city's comprehensive plan and that zoning approval does not grant construction permits or medical licensure.