Sanford Medical Center Fargo, North Dakota’s largest hospital and a 705-bed tertiary and quaternary referral center, was named to the inaugural Forbes “Top Hospitals” list in 2026 and recognized as a 5-star facility, placing it among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide. The medical center remains North Dakota’s only level 1 adult trauma center and level 2 pediatric trauma center, having been re-verified by the American College of Surgeons in 2025 after caring for 2,859 adult and pediatric trauma patients that year. The hospital launched a whole blood program through Sanford Ambulance, the only nationally accredited ambulance agency in the state, allowing critically injured patients to begin receiving blood transfusions before reaching the hospital. In April 2025, the medical center earned its first American Nurses’ Credentialing Center Magnet designation, becoming one of only two Magnet hospitals in North Dakota and earning five exemplars for exceeding national nursing standards. In December 2024, the medical center became the first hospital in North Dakota to launch a hospital-at-home program. Since 2021, Sanford Fargo’s blood and bone marrow transplant program has completed more than 175 transplants, including CAR-T and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapies. Meanwhile, the hospital’s 14 residency and fellowship programs with the University of North Dakota expanded in 2026 to include new cardiovascular disease and surgical critical care fellowships.
