Fargo Hospitals Increasing Emergency Room Space

Fargo's largest hospital has opened up seven new emergency rooms and another local hospital is planning to expand its emergency services.

Sanford Health officials say a $1.7 million expansion and renovation project has doubled the capacity the emergency center was designed to handle.

Officials say the addition has resulted in a more efficient suite of 27 emergency rooms to better handle almost 60,000 patient visits a year.

Sanford's emergency center is one of the busiest in the tri-state region, and sees almost twice as many patients as Sanford's hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Officials at Essentia Health in Fargo says its 19-room emergency department also is experiencing an increase in visits, and there are plans to increase the capacity to as many as 35 rooms.