North Dakota
New clinic in Grand Forks aims to help fill gaps in primary care
GRAND FORKS – The VitellaCare advanced primary care center opens Friday, Dec. 20, at 4399 South Columbia Road, Suite 102, according to an announcement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
The center, staffed and operated by Crossover Health, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays for those who have eligible Blue Cross Blue Shield plans.
This is the second VitellaCare clinic in the state; the first opened last week in Minot. The clinics are designed to give Blue Cross members customized, affordable primary care, the announcement said.
Employees include a nurse practitioner, a mental health provider, a licensed practical nurse and two medical assistants.
The clinic offers same-day and next-day care appointments, either in-person or virtually. Patients may schedule appointments online or through an app.
Services include comprehensive primary care, wellness check-ups, sick care, preventive care, pediatric care for ages 3 and older, chronic condition management, mental health and pharmacy consultations, routine lab draws and care navigation.
“Crossover Health will work with other providers in the community to help get patients to the specialist they need,” said Lacey Bergh, senior vice president of health delivery, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
“Probably about a third of the members of Blue Cross Blue Shield don’t have a primary care provider,” Bergh said. “And we know that across the state of North Dakota there is a shortage of both primary care providers and behavioral health providers, so (the center) is providing additional access in the community in those areas where they are needed.”
“In general, health care is very complex,” Bergh said, “and so part of the model is really helping guide people through that health care experience …”
At the VitellaCare clinic, a “care navigator” helps patients by following up with them, providing support and coordinating visits with specialty care providers and even making those appointments for them, said Melissa Richard, director of communications at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
The VitellaCare advanced primary care center provides a model of care that emphasizes holistic health, Bergh said. It is “focused on integrated, whole-person care, so really thinking about physical health, also mental and emotional health and well-being as well, and really addressing those with every visit.”
The center focuses on “proactive health management,” Bergh said, “so thinking about preventive services and management of chronic conditions.
“The goal in the clinics is really to spend more time with the clinician, so that they can get a good view of that whole person, both the physical and mental and emotional pieces of their health.”Taking more time with patients allows the clinician “to catch severe chronic conditions early” before they lead to requiring more costly forms of treatment, Richard said. It’s a model that prioritizes “quality of care over quantity of care.”
Another benefit is “recognizing that different patients like to have care completed (in) different ways,” Bergh said. Appointments are available in person or virtually, “so people can select the type of appointment that they would like to have with the care team.”
The clinic is open to those with selected Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans. Most plans do provide access to the VitellaCare center, Richard said. To determine if you have an eligible plan, call the Blue Cross Blue Shield member services line, 844-363-8457. If you have a plan that is not eligible, you can “buy up” into an eligible plan, she said.
HealthyDakota Mutual Holdings and Crossover Health have partnered to create the VitellaCare advanced primary care centers in North Dakota. HealthyDakota Mutual Holdings is a parent company that supports Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and several other subsidiaries.
The VitellaCare clinics represent the first partnership Blue Cross Blue Shield has entered into with HealthyDakota Mutual Holdings.
Along with Crossover Health, the insurance company is considering opening VitellaCare centers elsewhere in North Dakota, especially in areas with shortages of primary care and mental and behavioral health care providers, Richard said. Other locations have not yet been confirmed.
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Here’s something North Dakotans can take pride in: North Dakota has the third-highest average IQ in the nation, tying with Vermont at 103.8. That is 3.5 points above the national average.
The state with the highest average is Massachusetts at 104.3 and the state with the lowest average is Mississippi at 94.2.
Ninety-four percent of North Dakotans graduate high school, making it the state with the sixth-highest graduation rate in the nation.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Authorities have identified the man killed and the driver involved in a fatal overnight crash in West Fargo.
Jose Rodriguez, 38, of West Fargo, died after being struck by a vehicle early Wednesday morning, according to the North Dakota State Patrol.
The driver, Carly Vizenor, 25, of West Fargo, was not injured. Charges and restraint use remain under investigation.
The crash happened at approximately 2:46 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of 32nd Avenue South and 9th Street West.
According to the State Patrol, a 2016 Ford Fusion was traveling westbound on 32nd Avenue South when it struck Rodriguez, who was crossing the street approximately 20 to 30 yards east of the 9th Street intersection.
The driver left the scene and returned approximately 10 minutes later.
Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
The North Dakota State Patrol, West Fargo Police Department, and West Fargo Fire Department all responded to the crash.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
Getty
NDSU could make the CFP in 2026.
Winning has been the standard at North Dakota State for decades, and one college football analyst expects a similar result in the FBS right away.
Brett McMurphy of On3 believes NDSU will run the table 12-0 with a Mountain West Conference championship and make the College Football Playoff. McMurphy projects the Bison to face Oregon in the CFP, the Fargo Forum’s Jeff Kolpack reported.
That would mean the Bison would go on the road to Eugene against a perennial FBS contender, which didn’t go well for the last Group of Six team to play the Ducks. Oregon steamrolled James Madison 51-34 in last season’s CFP before the Ducks took down Texas Tech and lost to eventual national champion Indiana.
It’s not impossible for the Bison to get that far based on Sagarin Ratings and the program’s history of success against FBS teams. The Bison would need to maximize what they can control and to have a few things fall their way.
That said, all of this would be contingent upon the Bison receiving clearance for postseason competition from the NCAA on Thursday. Transitioning teams normally face a two-year postseason ban, and NDSU had been in a similar situation before, with a four-year postseason ban during the move from Division II to the FCS in 2004.
NDSU Looking to Pass JMU Again
In 2016, the JMU interrupted NDSU’s five-year FCS championship run with a playoff upset at the Fargodome.
NDSU then beat JMU in the 2017 season championship to win a sixth title in seven years. The Bison beat JMU again in the FCS championship game again for the 2019 season before the Dukes joined the FBS in 2022.
JMU’s success at the FBS level has resulted in two bowl game appearances and Sun Belt Conference title. Amid the conference crown, the Dukes slipped into the CFP as the ACC went topsy-turvy when a 5-5 Duke Blue Devils team at the time upset Virginia.
JMU made the CFP, and Miami represented the ACC while Notre Dame sat at home despite a 10-2 record and a close early-season loss to the national runner-up Hurricanes. NDSU, meanwhile, had a 12-0 regular season in the FCS and got stunned in the FCS playoffs by Illinois State, the second team ever to win a playoff game in Fargo.
The Bison looked like a program retooling to get back up from a postseason disappointment in January, but February brought the news of NDSU’s long-anticipated move up to the FBS. The Mountain West Conference invited the Bison amid the conference’s restructuring with five teams leaving for the Pac-12.
That made the former FCS titan attractive to the Mountain West, which notably lost former CFP entrant Boise State. Whether or not NDSU can become the Mountain West’s new Boise State or pass JMU as a premiere Group of Six team remains unknown.
Common Opponents Key For Bison
The Bison have the odds stacked against them in 2026 to make the CFP, but it’s not impossible.
NDSU doesn’t have a Power Four opponent, but the Bison can make up for that by margin of victory, especially with any Mountain West contenders that have Power Four opponents during the season.
New Mexico has the biggest Power Four opponent among Mountain West teams with Oklahoma, and UTEP faces Oklahoma and Michigan. San Jose State faces USC, another team with CFP hopes.
NDSU beating New Mexico, UTEP and San Jose State handily will especially help in making a run for the playoff.
Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis
-
News3 minutes agoOhio deputy who fatally shot Black man entering his grandmother’s house is convicted of reckless homicide
-
New York2 hours agoNew York’s Budget Deal Is Still Hazy. Here Are 5 Key Questions.
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoApproval poll: Do you approve of Lions GM Brad Holmes? (post-2026 draft)
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoWhere to watch Pittsburgh Pirates vs San Francisco Giants: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 8
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Weather: Thunderstorms in the forecast for Friday & Mother’s Day
-
Boston, MA3 hours ago
Where to watch Tampa Bay Rays vs Boston Red Sox: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 8
-
Denver, CO3 hours ago11 Denver Restaurants For Anyone Missing Their Southern Roots – Tasting Table
-
Seattle, WA3 hours agoOffseason Checklist: Seattle Kraken