NP/PA – Palliative Care

Essentia Health-Duluth welcomes licensed marriage and family therapist Erin Durkee. Erin Durkee, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is thrilled to join Essentia Health-Duluth. She has worked for Essentia in a limited capacity over the years and is excited to become a full-time provider. "Caring for patients is a privilege," said Durkee. "I look forward to working with each person, as an individual, to meet their needs and help them achieve their mental health goals." She completed her counseling psychology degree at the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco. "I specialize in somatic therapy and working with diverse populations and individuals with trauma," said Durkee. "I look forward to making connections with my patients and making a lasting impact on their health journey." To see Durkee's full profile, please visit EssentiaHealth.org and click on "find a doctor."

Essentia expands services in Superior. Investments will increase access to specialty and surgical care and add ambulances during and after the Blatnik Bridge closure. Today at 4:57 PM News Reporting SUPERIOR - For more than 100,000 patients in northwest Wisconsin served by Essentia Health, healthcare won't have to take a backseat to traffic when the Blatnik Bridge closes next year. Essentia Health announced Tuesday, Sept. 15, it is expanding services in an effort to make it easier for patients across northwest Wisconsin to receive more of their care closer to home. The $14.5 million investment in Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital-Superior comes as the community prepares for the Blatnik Bridge closure. The initiative includes expanded clinician coverage, increased specialty outreach and surgical capacity, and the addition of a Superior-based ambulance service. "Over the last year, we've been looking at how we can better serve our patients in northwest Wisconsin, said Kim Pearson, northwest Wisconsin administrator for Essentia Health. "And we've been working toward a clear goal. We want to make it easier for people to get the care they need, when they need it and as close to home as possible." With an estimated 33,000 vehicles crossing the Blatnik Bridge each day shifting to the Bong Bridge, getting across the bridge may take significantly longer once construction begins, Pearson said. "For our patients, traffic delays are more than an inconvenience," Pearson said. "It can create a real barrier to getting timely care. We don't want patients to have to delay care or travel farther than necessary because of transportation challenges. So, we're taking action now to expand the services available here in Superior." Over the past several months, audiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics and family medicine have expanded by adding more providers, Pearson said. And plans include expanding pediatrics, cardiology, ophthalmology and gastroenterology services in the coming months, she said. Essentia's two new ambulances in Superior will augment the service provided by Mayo if response times are delayed, according to Joe Newton, Essentia's senior director for emergency services. "We know that when emergencies happen, every minute matters," Newton said. "Our goal is to add capacity and shore up the resources that are available on this side of the bridge." Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital-Superior will also increase surgical capacity by welcoming two new general surgeons to the team in October. The hospital is also adding advanced surgical technology, including robotic-assisted capabilities. more by shelley nelson Tuesday's announcement comes after months, even years, of work to prepare for the Blatnik Bridge closure, Mayor Jim Paine said. "Everybody knows and is starting to prepare for very real impacts to both traffic and our economy... during the bridge closure," Paine said. "Moving 30,000 cars a day even 1 mile to the west will have impacts on this community. However, we simply cannot tolerate impacts to health and safety." Paine noted that firefighters also soon will be trained as advanced emergency medical technicians to provide a higher level of care. "Our goal, as ambitious as it is, is to have no decrease in our response times," Paine said. "When you call 911, regardless of when the bridge closes, we want an emergency response reaching you in the same amount of time they are reaching you now." The mayor said the city's new traffic preemption system, which allows emergency responders to control traffic signals during an emergency, is nearing completion. "It's going to be a long five years," Paine said. "There's no getting around that, but we want to make sure that the health and safety of our community remains the absolute No. 1 priority and that's what all of these investments are about." Essentia's initiative reinforces those efforts by making it easier to get care locally, Pearson said. "We want to reduce the need for patients to travel farther than necessary and position Superior as a convenient destination for care both during the closure and long after the new bridge is complete," she said. News Reporting Shelley Nelson is a reporter with the Duluth Media Group since 1997, and has covered Superior and Douglas County communities and government for the Duluth News Tribune from 1999 to 2006, and the Superior Telegram since 2006. Contact her at 715-395-5022 or [email protected].

Essentia Health's Community Paramedics Program works to eliminate barriers for patients in need. Mary Skorich WDIO Updated: September 4, 2026 - 5:03 PM Published: September 4, 2026 - 4:53 PM For many, getting access to the healthcare they need can be a challenge. That's why Essentia Health created a Community Paramedics Program, to meet their patients where they are at. Nolan had worked as a traditional paramedic for almost six years before applying for a Community Paramedic position in Duluth. During those six years, he realized he wasn't getting the time to help his patients adequately combat their health problems, which is why he pursued the role through Essentia's program. "We have that ability to really build that rapport with that patient in that home and pick up on those things that are causing them to have to get re-emitted to the hospital and have to utilize those healthcare services in a not so fun way," said Nolan. Community Paramedics are trained the same as a traditional paramedic, but receive additional training in chronic illness management, preventative care, and to identify different things in one's home that could result in an emergency. "To prevent the frequent use of the emergency department and the re-hospitalizations and admissions to the hospital," said Nolan. Nolan doesn't just conduct typical check-ups with his patients, he travels to their home and can provide resources to allow people to feel in control of their treatment. "I've seen first-hand patients benefit from this program. We have patients who have missed multiple doctors' appointments and specialty follow-ups just simply because they didn't have that ability to transport themselves. And we work alongside a lot of our community partners, and we help connect those patients to those resources," said Nolan. "And sometimes that's just the simple, you know, missing puzzle piece that allows for that patient to get to and from those appointments and be more involved into their own care." On Friday, Nolan took a trip to Diane's house in Duluth for a checkup. Diane became a patient of Nolan after a trip to the hospital. "After I got out of the hospital, they had all these people that wanted to come out. And I said, I don't want any of that. I don't need any of that. I'd rather do it myself and slow. And that's the way I've been with everything. I don't ever want anybody coming in to help me. And so, when he said that he wanted to come out for Essentia, I just thought, well, it's fine if he comes out one time. But I was so shocked when I found out he was going to come regular," said Nolan. "It's one of the best things that's ever happened to me from going to the doctor and having him do this." Nolan makes an effort to ensure all of his patients can get the treatment they need and have access to the resources needed to ensure emergency medical events don't happen. "So, you know, simple things like fixing the door," said Nolan. "It's difficult to pull open. Yeah, I knew it didn't want to open half the time. I'd have to actually push it in and try to pull open at the same time. And he worked on that for probably half an hour or longer and finally got it to where it was working. So, I call him my handyman now, too," added Diane. "At the heart of what we're doing is we are identifying those barriers, what makes healthcare difficult for these patients and meeting the patients with where they're at and treating them in a different way. We're treating them as the whole picture, as a more of a patient-centered approach and taking into account the community, their home, but also them and all of the things that impact their healing process and their well-being," said Nolan. According to Essentia Health, those who have had frequent visits to the emergency room or whose doctor is concerned they may be at risk for hospitalization could be eligible for community paramedic visits. Those interested in trying community paramedic services should contact their primary care provider for a referral.