Major milestone for Vision Northland project, which is now substantially complete

March 02, 2023  By: Anthony Matt

Another major milestone has been reached as Essentia Health transforms its downtown Duluth medical campus – the Vision Northland project is substantially complete. The project is now about 98% done and plans are being made to occupy the building.

Substantial completion means all major work on the replacement St. Mary’s Medical Center is largely finished and the building is ready for its intended use – but that doesn’t mean Essentia will begin using it just yet. Work continues in various areas on the project, but it is related to the building’s aesthetics and elements that require warmer weather, among other things.

“We’re very proud of this day because it marks how far we’ve come with this state-of-the-art health care facility,” said Dan Cebelinski, Essentia’s director of facilities. “Now we get to start counting down the days until we can open the doors to patients.”

This also means that McGough Construction, the general contractor, will transfer control of the building to us. However, McGough will maintain a presence on site until the building is 100% complete.

The next step is to receive the certificate of occupancy from the City of Duluth, which, among other things, verifies all life-safety measures are in place and mechanical systems are operational. Once that is complete, we can start moving our equipment into the building and our care teams can begin training in this new space, so they are ready to deliver seamless patient care as soon as the facility opens.

“We’re really excited for that next step because that’s when the hospital will truly take form for our world-class health care workers,” said Dr. Robert Erickson, the physician lead for the project. “We designed this building with them in mind, and soon they will be able to see how their thoughts and ideas were put into action to ensure we can continue delivering the finest health care in the region.”

 Our first patient day is anticipated in the third quarter of this year.

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