Mayo Clinic says it is closing six sites in southern Minnesota by the end of the year and transitioning some elective procedures from Albert Lea to Austin and Waseca.
The six clinics in Belle Plaine, Caledonia, Montgomery, Northridge, St. Peter and Wells will close by Dec. 10.
Elective procedures in ophthalmology, orthopedics, podiatry, endoscopy and gynecology will move from the Albert Lea campus to sites in Austin and Waseca.
The decision is a result of the challenges of providing health care in rural Minnesota — such as staffing shortages and a decline in the number of patients — Mayo Clinic said in a release.
“These decisions reflect the realities of delivering high-quality care in smaller communities today,” said Karthik Ghosh, vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System Minnesota. “They allow us to strengthen access to high-quality, coordinated care — while also expanding flexible care options, like Primary Care On Demand, to meet patients where they are and how they prefer to receive care.”
Patients will be notified and they’ll have the choice of continuing care with their current provider at a different location or transitioning care to another Mayo Clinic provider at a site they choose.
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