ALBERT LEA — One day after Gov. Mark Dayton said he was "very, very concerned" about Mayo Clinic's hospital consolidation plans in Albert Lea, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith called on Mayo to hit pause on the process, which has sparked opposition across Freeborn County.
Smith shared her thoughts Thursday during a news conference in Albert Lea following a 90-minute closed meeting with Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin; Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea; local officials; and five members of Save Our Hospital.
The grassroots group has criticized Mayo's consolidation plan and now is formally requesting at least a 90-day pause after Mayo's plan was "dropped like a bomb without any (community) input" in June, Bennett said. The request appears to have lined up another key supporter.
"I've been conveying to Mayo Clinic, privately, the exact message that I've been conveying publicly to everybody, which is we're concerned about their decisions, we want to understand better why they're making them and, I think … it'd be a good idea to take a pause in this and not rush right in to implementation as they're planning in October," Smith said in front of Albert Lea City Hall. "And try to find a solution that works for Albert Lea and works for the high quality, patient-centered care that Mayo is devoted to providing."
Sparks did not respond to requests for comment, but Bennett also urged Mayo to hit pause.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The decision-makers over there need to come and really sit down at the table and listen to some other solutions," Bennett said.
It's the latest example of mounting public pressure facing Mayo over its Albert Lea decision. Prior criticism has come from 1st District Congressman Tim Walz , AARP leaders in Minnesota and Iowa, Sen. Sparks and many local officials .
More than 100 Save Our Hospital members greeted Smith at city hall in hopes of adding another name to that list. They weren't disappointed, as Smith, who chairs the Destination Medical Center Corporation Board, agreed to carry their request directly to Mayo officials later that afternoon.
"There’s no question that our mission is to gather advocates," SOH co-chairman Brad Arends said. "We feel that we’ve been very successful, especially the last two weeks.
"It’s surprising even to us when you look at least at verbal support from people like the attorney general, … the lieutenant governor, the governor, AARP and even the editorial board at the Minneapolis Star Tribune," Arends said. "We’re feeling good about the direction (we're headed). We’ll feel much better when we actually see … action."
Mayo rejects calls for delay
Mayo officials previously have said communication might have been handled better, but they've repeatedly rejected requests to reconsider a decision that was reached after an 18-month internal study of the Albert Lea and Austin campuses, which were legally merged in 2012.
Spokeswoman Ginger Plumbo reiterated that stance Thursday evening.
ADVERTISEMENT
"To ensure the highest quality health care, we are moving forward with the optimization plans," Plumbo said via email. "We will continue engaging with the community as we move through subsequent phases of the plan."
The first step in Mayo's plan calls for the ICU to be moved from Albert Lea to Austin at the end of September. Most inpatient services would be shifted to Austin during the next 18 months, including baby delivery, though Mayo says it shouldn't negatively affect employment numbers.
Mayo has framed its decision as a response to challenges facing all rural health care facilities, including losing about $13 million during the last two years at its Austin and Albert Lea campuses. Other local issues include staffing shortages, reduced demand for childbirth and declining overnight hospitalizations, among other things.
Dr. Annie Sadosty, regional vice president for Mayo Clinic Health System's Southeast Minnesota Region, notes MCHS will spend more than $4 million in 2017 on temporary staff, according to a guest column published in Thursday's Star Tribune in response to a Star Tribune editorial Sunday that questioned Mayo's stewardship of local hospitals.
"Health care organizations everywhere are spreading increasingly scarce staffing resources across half-filled hospitals, with intensive-care and birthing units that care for a very small patient load (for instance, an average of one birth per day on each campus, in our case) at ever-increasing costs," Sadosty wrote. "This situation is not sustainable."
On the advice of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, Save Our Hospital is in the process of hiring a forensic health care analyst to double-check Mayo's numbers and verify its claims. Members remain skeptical of Mayo's claims that the joint campus isn't profitable, noting other providers have expressed an interest in running the rural hospital that serves about 55,000 residents across the region.
Questions linger with AG, DMC
That process would piggyback off Swanson's recent inquiries of Mayo. On Wednesday night, Mayo sent Swanson's office a 12-page response to her request for procedural and financial data in Albert Lea. A spokesman for Swanson's office said Thursday that a timeline moving forward is unclear.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mayo also has agreed to perform an economic impact study, though it's unclear how soon such a project will be completed or if it will change any plans. The lack of such a study on the front end has been criticized by many, some of whom — such as Dayton — have questioned Mayo's health care stewardship in southern Minnesota after receiving $585 million in public funding for DMC in Rochester.
When asked whether such a connection was fair, Smith reiterated that DMC funding goes directly to the city — not Mayo — to support infrastructure, and it was codified into law, rendering personal opinions a moot point.
However, she also admitted Mayo should expect increased "attention and focus" after entering into such a unique public-private partnership with significant taxpayer support.
"I can’t speak for Mayo Clinic and why they’re making the decisions that they make," Smith said. "I can’t see into their hearts and minds … but what I do know is they need to do a much better job consulting with communities to make big decisions that affect the economy and the heart and soul of communities like Albert Lea.
"It’s always our responsibility to use our powers of influence to make sure what happens is best for the most, and that's what we’re trying to do now."
