Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital will close its McDonald's, according to a Star Tribune report.
Here are four things to know about the closing.
1. Abbott Northwestern's parent organization, Allina Health, announced the closing Dec. 1.
2. The fast-food chain's closing is part of a broader effort to reduce high-fat foods and sugar-sweetened beverages from the hospital. As part of that effort, Allina will also remove sugar-sweetened beverages from 77 vending machines in its 13 hospitals around the Twin Cities area and more than 90 clinics as of the start of 2016, according to the report. High-fat foods will also be trimmed from its cafeteria menus.
3. The closing comes as Abbott Northwestern has been criticized for hosting McDonald's for 25 years. According to the report, Allina officials had resisted closing McDonald's in the past, due to the cost of breaking a long-term lease with the restaurant and that the fast food chain had modified its menu at the hospital to include some healthier options.
4. The restaurant's lease at Abbott Northwestern will end May 31.
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