Governor hails Duluth's health care investments

By District Energy posted 06-03-2019 00:00

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Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune

Summary

Gov. Tim Walz visited Duluth Monday to reflect on the recent legislative session and highlight the transformative power of the state’s pending investment of nearly $98 million to support the expansion of the city’s downtown medical district.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson noted those state dollars will leverage even more spending by the city’s two largest medical providers — Essentia Health and St. Luke’s — which she said plan to invest more than $1 billion “within an eight-block radius in the heart of our community.”

Walz largely credited Duluth’s success in St. Paul to Larson and the city’s local legislative delegation.

“Let’s just be clear about this. The voice of Duluth was heard loudly in St. Paul. The priorities of Duluth were the priorities of Minnesota, and when a budget came to be written, finalized and signed into law, Duluth was there, and Duluth’s priorities were there,” Walz said.