CentraCare residency programs at Rice Memorial Hospital and St. Cloud Hospital appropriation

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jeff Howe and 1 co-sponsor

SF 2516 proposes a state appropriation to CentraCare for expanding residency programs at Rice Memorial Hospital and St. Cloud Hospital.

Referred to Higher Education

#educationandeducationdepartment #education-higher

Overview

Bill number and title: SF 2516, CentraCare residency programs at Rice Memorial Hospital and St. Cloud Hospital appropriation

Purpose (as indicated by title): To appropriate state funds to CentraCare to support residency programs at Rice Memorial Hospital (Willmar) and St. Cloud Hospital (St. Cloud)

Status: Introduced March 13, 2025; referred to the Higher Education committee

Companion bill: HF 2229 (House companion)

What the bill would do

Authorize an appropriation to CentraCare Health specifically for residency programs located at:

Rice Memorial Hospital (Willmar, MN)
St. Cloud Hospital (St. Cloud, MN)

The core intent is to fund or expand graduate medical education (residency) slots within CentraCare facilities mentioned above. The bill’s title indicates support for residency training capacity at these two hospitals.

Details such as the exact funding amount, duration (fiscal years), eligible residency programs (e.g., family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, etc.), and any conditions or reporting requirements are not provided in the information available here.

Who would be affected

Primary beneficiaries:

CentraCare Health system, including Rice Memorial Hospital and St. Cloud Hospital
Medical residents training at these facilities

Secondary impacts:

Local health care workforce development, particularly in the Willmar and St. Cloud regions
Potential downstream effects on access to medical care and physician recruitment/retention in central Minnesota

Any requirements on CentraCare (if included in the bill) could affect program administration, reporting, or accountability.

Fiscal and procedural context

Fiscal impact: Not specified in the information provided. The bill would entail a state appropriation, with the funding amount, duration, and any matching or reporting conditions to be determined in committee.

Legislative path:

Introduced and first read on March 13, 2025
Referred to the Higher Education committee, where it may be discussed, amended, and possibly advanced
As a companion, HF 2229 in the House may follow similar steps and be cross-filed for consideration in the House of Representatives

Effective date: Not specified; would typically be set in the bill if enacted.

Open questions for review (pending the bill text)

What is the requested funding amount, over how many years, and for which residency programs?

Are there matching funds, performance metrics, or reporting requirements for CentraCare?

Are there specific outcomes or timelines (e.g., number of new residency slots) tied to the appropriation?

How would funds interact with other state or public health education programs?

This summary reflects the information publicly available about SF 2516. The full bill text would provide precise fiscal details, eligibility criteria, and administrative provisions.

Bill