Unrest Spreads Among CHI St. Alexius Physicians

Williston-based staffers see 'some vindication in the acknowledgment of these shared frustrations' with their colleagues in Bismarck.

CHI St. Alexius Health physicians working in Bismarck, North Dakota, aren't the only ones upset with the Fargo-based regional leadership team.

Medical staff in the organization's Williston facilities have added their voices to the chorus of complaints, as The Bismarck Tribune reported this week.

"Many of us thought these issues were limited to the Williston location, due to geographic and population issues, but there is some vindication in the acknowledgment of these shared frustrations," the Williston workers wrote in a letter to the board earlier this month, citing an earlier letter from their colleagues in Bismarck, as the Tribune reported.

Here's a timeline of recent events in this dispute:

• May 1: Members of the Bismarck-based medical executive committee sign a blunt letter to the CHI St. Alexius Health board, calling for the ouster of four people from their regional leadership team in Fargo.
   
• May 14: In a letter of their own, some of the organization's Williston-based medical staffers echo concerns raised in the Bismarck-based committee's letter, complaining that their workforce is "chronically overburdened," as the Tribune reported.
   
• May 15: Thirteen members resign from the Bismarck-based committee, leaving only four members to serve on the panel.
   
• May 17: The organization's board meets behind closed doors to discuss the conflict, then emerges with a statement backing the existing leadership and calling for dialogue.
   
• May 22: The board convened a meeting with providers at the Williston Medical Center and said it plans to continue meetings with other providers in the system in the weeks to come.

Fargo, where the regional office is located, sits on North Dakota's border with Minnesota. Bismarck is located nearly 200 miles to the west, and Williston is another 220-mile drive northwest of Bismarck.