Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Is Growing: What It Means for Crosby

Crosby's story usually starts with the Cuyuna trails, and it should. But the quiet anchor behind the town's year-round strength is Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, and CRMC is growing. Construction began in mid-March 2026 on a project adding six new medical-surgical rooms at the Crosby campus, and the hospital has expanded its technology and its specialist roster through 2025 and 2026. For buyers, especially retirees and families, that growth matters as much as any trail.

What is being built at CRMC?

The headline project is a medical-surgical expansion that broke ground in mid-March 2026, adding six new medical-surgical rooms to the Crosby campus. CEO Amy Hart described the project as a response to the community's growth, which is the kind of statement that should interest anyone weighing a move here. A hospital that builds because demand is real, not because a grant was available, is a hospital that expects the town to keep growing with it.

Health care that punches above its size

CRMC has also been adding capability, not just space. In spring 2025 the hospital adopted the VELYS Active Robotic Assistance Platform for spine surgery, making it one of only a handful of facilities in the country offering that technology, a group that includes the Mayo Clinic. By August 2026, orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. James Stokman had completed 100 robotic spine procedures using the platform, about 10 percent of all VELYS Spine cases nationwide. A rural hospital performing that kind of advanced work changes the math for buyers who assumed top-tier care meant driving to the metro.

More specialists and a strong reputation

The clinical side has grown too. A full-time neurologist joined in 2025, and urologist Dr. Grant McCormick came on board in late September 2026. The hospital performed more than 11,180 surgeries in 2025 and earned a five-star patient experience rating in 2026, recognition that shows up in how residents talk about their hometown hospital. For a community this size, that is a medical presence most small towns only dream of.

Why the hospital matters to home buyers

Healthcare is the first question many buyers ask when they consider a permanent move, and retirees rank it at the top. CRMC's growth means routine and specialty care close to home, with the region's larger hospitals still a short drive away in Brainerd and Baxter. The clinic the medical center opened in Nisswa in 2026 extends the same care across the area, which we covered in our post on the Nisswa clinic.

The honest read

Crosby sells itself on recreation, and it should. But recreation brings visitors; healthcare keeps residents. A growing hospital, advanced surgical technology, and a steady stream of new specialists are signs of a community investing in its year-round future, and that is what makes the Cuyuna country more than a summer destination. The Crosby community guide covers the full picture, and the buying guide walks through the practical checks for any property you tour. Or schedule a call and we will talk through your plan. Cheers!