Members of the Albert Lea-Save Our Hospital group formed a steering committee to lead community efforts to prevent Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic from consolidating inpatient services between its Albert Lea and Austin, Minn., campuses, according to the Albert Lea Tribune.
The 12-member committee will be responsible for providing organization and leadership efforts for the cause. Members of the committee recently approved a motion to appoint Freeborn County Commissioner and Vice Chairman Chris Shoff to the committee. Organizers also plan to reach out to members of the Albert Lea City Council, according to the report.
Despite statements from Mayo Clinic officials promising Albert Lea residents "will continue to have a top-tier medical center with a full-service emergency room, primary care providers and specialists, pregnancy and women's healthcare, a beautiful cancer center … and outpatient surgical services," community members are reportedly "committed to [the] mission" of ensuring those inpatient services stay at the Albert Lea campus, the report states.
The committee also contacted state and national lawmakers asking them to request copies of agreements Mayo Clinic issued when it acquired the Albert Lea hospital and announced plans to merge services with the Austin campus. The members seek to discern whether health system officials adhered to stipulations outlined in the agreements.
Committee members also allege the health system did not conduct social or economic analyses of the integration plan to determine how it would impact residents in both communities, the Albert Lea Tribune reports.