North Shore Health expands rehabilitation services as housing eases hiring
Housing development in Cook County is helping North Shore Health recruit therapists and expand rehabilitation services.
The hospital previously employed about seven therapists, but added five more this summer. Housing availability played a key role in staffing, according to Patrick O’Neil, the director of rehabilitation.
“Because of the new apartments, we were actually able to hire two additional therapists,” he said. “One occupational therapist and one physical therapist who wanted to come here, but without housing, they never would have applied.”
The additional staff enabled the department to expand its service offerings through additional staff training.
The expansion has led to growth in pediatric physical therapy services. Between May and September, O’Neil estimates the department provided about 460 additional pediatric services.
“And if you do the math on that, you know, not everybody is going back and forth, but if they were to go to Duluth and then come back, we saved families about 34 days worth of travel, which was pretty cool when you kind of stop and think about that,” O’Neil told WTIP.
New services now offered locally include dry needling, hand therapy, pediatric pelvic floor therapy, and lymphedema treatment. Many of those services previously required patients to travel to Duluth.
O’Neil also credited traveling therapists who return each summer with helping meet staffing needs.
North Shore Health has also purchased the property in Grand Marais known as the Bunk House, which will be used to house new and temporary employees.
“For years, we’ve had situations where somebody has wanted to come and work for us, but then couldn’t find housing,” North Shore Health CEO Kimber Wraalstad told WTIP. “And so this gives an opportunity for us to have a place for people to land. Like other healthcare organizations, we’re looking at immigration and working with people coming from other countries, and this gives them an opportunity and a place to stay for a period of time.”
Equipment for the expanded rehabilitation services was purchased with the help of a grant from the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation.
Staff have also increased community outreach efforts to raise awareness of the expanded services. The department participated in the Bone Builders “Get Up Off the Floor” event, led an in-service training for ISD 166, conducted an ergonomics assessment at the Cook County courthouse, and hosted a pelvic floor education series through Cook County Higher Education.
O’Neil said additional expansion is planned in the future, including finalizing a contract to provide services for ISD 166 and increasing outreach to the county’s West End communities.
“We’re also looking at trying to provide more driving assessments, because what’s more challenging than if you can’t drive and you have to get to Duluth and then come back just for that assessment,” O’Neil said.
WTIP’s Josh Hinke spoke with Patrick O’Neil about the services at North Shore Health, the community outreach, and his plans for the future. You can hear the audio of that conversation below.
Josh Hinke December 2, 2025
