Prairie St. John’s Celebrates 20 Years of Offering Hope and Healing

North Dakota first lady Kathryn Helgass Burgum talked about the role Prairie St. John's played in her recovery from alcohol abuse

FARGO, ND — Prairie St. John’s hospital celebrates 20 year of helping people suffering from mental illness and addiction.

The celebration made it clear there’s more work left to be done.

North Dakota first lady Kathryn Helgass Burgum talked about the role Prairie St. John’s played in her recovery from alcohol abuse.

Addict Scott Smith also shared his story.

It took three stints in rehab for him to come clean, including twice at Prairie.

They hope sharing their success stories will convince others that it’s okay to seek help.

“The stigma in the past is we want to put people in prison, we want them to be arrested, we want them to pay for their crime,” said Smith. “But, what Katheryn’s trying to do and what people have been trying to do for years, is take the stigma away from addiction and treat it as a disease.”

Prairie St. John’s officials say one in four adults in the U.S. have a diagnosable mental illness.

The hospital served seven thousand patients last year.