History
CHI St. Gabriel’s Health is a multi-facility health care organization, which includes St. Gabriel’s Hospital (a critical access hospital), Family Medical Center (a multispecialty clinic with locations in Little Falls, Pierz, and Randall), Little Falls Orthopedics (an orthopedic and podiatry practice), CHI Health at Home (a home health and hospice agency), and Alverna Apartments (a 60-unit, HUD-subsidized senior housing complex).
The cornerstone of CHI St. Gabriel’s Health is St. Gabriel’s Hospital, which was founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls (FSLF) in 1891 and received its first patient in January 1892. The first hospital-only building opened in 1916 (portions are still in use today). The hospital continued to grow throughout the 20th century until it reached a maximum of 124-beds in the early 1980s. The introduction of the Prospective Pricing System and changes in Medicare and other hospital reimbursement led to a gradual reduction in beds throughout the 1990s. Eventually incentives related to becoming a critical access hospital (CAH) resulted in downsizing to it’s current license of 49-beds. St. Gabriel’s Hospital, as well as its affiliated clinics and home health agency, are certified by The Joint Commission, a national accreditation organization, known for ensuring quality of the highest standard.
Family Medical Center (FMC) is CHI St. Gabriel’s Health’s second largest entity with approximately 30 providers (physicians and advanced care professionals (ACPs)) in the following specialties: family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, and psychiatry. Family Medical Center Pierz opened its doors in 1986. The Randall location opened in 2006. FMC functions as a department of St. Gabriel’s Hospital and joined CHI St. Gabriel’s Health in 2010.
Little Falls Orthopedics (LFO) has five orthopedic surgeons, two podiatrists, five physician assistants and three physical therapists (DPTs) who see patients through its primary location in Little Falls as well as satellite locations throughout central Minnesota in the communities of Albany, Long Prairie, Melrose, Sauk Centre, and St. Cloud. Dr. Virgil Meyer introduced orthopedics to the Little Falls area in 1982. LFO surgeons perform a wide range of procedures at St. Gabriel’s Hospital as well as the hospitals affiliated with its satellite locations. LFO joined CHI St. Gabriel’s Health in 2007. Little Falls Orthopedics is a Blue Distinction Center +® for knee and hip replacements by Blue Cross/Blue Shield and is a member of the American Joint Replacement Registry.
Alverna Apartments is a 60-unit senior housing complex located on the CHI St. Gabriel’s Health campus in Little Falls. Rent for nearly all tenants is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In addition to amenities such as a stove, refrigerator, emergency pull cord, secure entrance, Alverna also offers a noon meal to interested tenants and has year-round access via enclosed walkways/tunnels to St. Gabriel’s Hospital, Family Medical Center and St. Otto’s Care Center, a long-term care and rehabilitative center located adjacent to Alverna. It opened in 1978.
CHI Health at Home is a Medicare-certified home health and hospice agency. It also functions as a department of CHI St. Gabriel’s Health and has consistently been ranked as an Elite® home care agency.