One of Minnesota’s few inpatient addiction treatment units will close in a few months.
Nurses say some will suffer due to the decision by Allina Health, but healthcare system leaders say this type of care has evolved.
“This unit was one of the pioneering units in the state and also one of the last,” said Joe Clubb, vice president for Allina Health Mental Health and Addiction Services.
In a public hearing on Thursday, Allina Health leadership explained why they’re closing the inpatient chemical dependency unit at Mercy Hospital in Fridley.
“For the last two years, we’ve seen a significant change to receive authorization for payment for inpatient chemical dependency treatment,” said Clubb.
On the health care system’s website, it says the 24-bed unit focuses on addiction treatment for alcohol and drugs, offering programming up to 40 hours a week, including therapy, monitored detoxification and more.
“Our average length of stay has slowly been going down to three to five days,” said Clubb.
In an anonymous interview, current and former employees of the unit pushed back.
“You basically said what we do doesn’t matter, and they can get the same level of care at a medical unit or county detox and that’s not true,” said one employee.
The group says they’ve advocated for better marketing for years. They add that the clinic is a special place.
“A lot of people were suicidal with significant trauma abuse, difficult to engage, but because of our unit, they were able to,” another employee added.
Allina Health says the clinic will close on Feb. 20, 2026, but adds the “majority of patients requiring medical detox services will continue to access services through general admission at both campuses of Mercy Hospital, as well as through medical units and outpatient services” throughout its system.
“Allina Health continues to navigate current financial pressures related to the rising cost to deliver care, falling reimbursements, and the expected impacts of funding cuts for critical health care programs like Medicaid,” a spokesperson for Allina Health said in a statement to WCCO. “Allina Health’s decisions to change services are part of an effort to ensure long-term sustainability and maintain excellence in care for the patients and communities we serve. We are incredibly grateful to the care team members that have been part of the inpatient chemical dependency unit at Mercy Hospital—Unity Campus.”
Data from Anoka County shows in 2023, 4.5% of those receiving drug and alcohol treatment are choosing hospital inpatient care, with most choosing a nonresidential option.
“I just want to lead with gratitude for many of the staff,” Clubb said.
The Minnesota Nurses Association also released a statement saying, in part, “The Unity Campus inpatient chemical dependency unit is designed to provide the structure, safety, and focus that patients with severe addiction need to recover. Nurses warn that relocating these patients to open-floor hospital units will put patients at greater risk of relapse, undermine their recovery, and deny them the level of care and appropriate setting patients require.”
The nurses’ union called the closure the latest cut in a troubling pattern by Allina Health, citing closures of Abbott Northwestern’s infusion department, United Hospital’s pain center and United Hospital’s infusion department.
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