Essentia Health hosts local lawmakers at St. Joseph’s Medical Center ahead of legislative session

On Friday, Essentia Health hosted a group of lawmakers representing districts from the Brainerd Lakes area at St. Joseph's Medical Center. Sandy Zutz-Wiczek, vice president of operations at Essentia, led a tour of the hospital and discussed how lawmakers can help ensure rural communities preserve access to high-quality care. Ahead of the 2026 legislative session, Essentia Heath is bringing lawmakers to their local hospitals to highlight the importance of supporting policies that sustain rural health care across the state.

“We are so proud of the care we provide to the Brainerd Lakes community at St. Joseph’s Medical Center,” said Zutz-Wiczek. “From our comprehensive Heart and Vascular Center to our award-winning stroke care and substance use treatment unit, we are proud to make nationally recognized care available close to home. I’m grateful to the legislators who took time to learn about how we can work together to support strong, local health care.” 

Essentia Health hosted Senators Paul Utke and Keri Heintzeman and Representatives Josh Heintzeman and Krista Knutsen.

During the tour, Essentia Health leaders and legislators discussed topics related to workforce development, health care access and affordability and safety. In August, St. Joseph’s earned its first five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, placing the hospital in the top 10% of more than 4,600 hospitals evaluated nationwide. And earlier this month, it received a five-star rating on the Forbes Top Hospitals List.

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to see the behind the scenes work and outstanding care that the teams at St. Joseph’s Medical Center provide,” said Senator Keri Heintzeman. “The Brainerd Lakes are blessed to have nationally recognized care in our community and I look forward to working on issues at the Capitol that protect and strengthen rural health care.” 

Earlier this week, Essentia Health hosted a bipartisan group of lawmakers representing districts from across the state at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. This was part of the Minnesota Business Partnership’s initiative connecting legislators directly with companies headquartered in Minnesota to demonstrate how policy decisions translate into economic impact.

This fall, Essentia Health announced findings from a third-party economic impact report that outlined the positive economic and community benefits Essentia brings to the communities it serves. The report found that Essentia drives over $733 million in annual economic activity and supports over 2,000 jobs directly and indirectly in the Brainerd Lakes area. Across the 19 Minnesota counties where Essentia operates, those figures are $5.8 billion and over 18,700 jobs, respectively.