Essentia Health welcomes new director of North Dakota government relations

Essentia Health is proud to welcome Nathan Svihovec as our new director of North Dakota government relations. In this role, Svihovec will lead Essentia's advocacy efforts across the state, strengthening our ability to advance policies that ensure rural communities have access to high-quality health care.

Svihovec brings a wealth of experience in state government and the law to Essentia Health. He previously served as general counsel to Gov. Doug Burgum and as North Dakota labor commissioner. Prior to that, Svihovec was an assistant attorney general for the North Dakota Office of Attorney General, representing and advising state agencies in employment law matters. Additionally, he served in the North Dakota National Guard from 2008 to 2016, achieving the rank of sergeant and being named North Dakota Soldier of the Year in 2009.

"We are excited to welcome Nathan to the Essentia team,” said Andrew Askew, Essentia's vice president of public policy. "His deep understanding of state government and the law will make him an invaluable addition to the team as we advocate for policies at the capitol that protect rural health care and improve the well-being of the communities we are privileged to serve."

"I am honored to join Essentia Health and work to help improve the health and well-being of rural communities similar to the one I call home," said Svihovec. "I look forward to working with policymakers, community leaders and health care providers to develop and support initiatives that improve access to local, high-quality care across North Dakota."

Essentia serves a predominantly rural population across Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Approximately 84% of our service area is classified as rural. We are dedicated to addressing the growing challenges of rural health care, which include increasing care and payment denials, rising drug costs and unsustainable reimbursement rates and provider burnout.