Rural ND Hospital CEO Defends Nursing Home Investment Amid Workforce Strain
In a Becker's Hospital Review interview, Stephanie Everett, administrator and CEO of Mountrail County Health Center in Stanley, N.D., describes her facility's four-year, $53 million expansion that includes a new nursing home with more assisted living units, expected to be completed in early 2028. Everett argues that nursing homes remain essential as rural areas face nursing shortages, workforce gaps, and weather-related barriers that make home-based care and AI tools impractical substitutes for in-person care. She contrasts this with industry trends of hospital-at-home expansion alongside reported closures and reductions in home health, hospice, and hospital-at-home programs elsewhere. Everett also emphasizes building workplace cultures that empower staff judgment and trust as key to sustaining nursing home operations long-term.