Mayo Clinic Health System to close Fairmont surgical, labor and delivery units
FAIRMONT, Minn. (KEYC) - Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont will be closing its surgical and labor and delivery units at the end of March 2025.
Surgeries, procedures and inpatient obstetric care, including the labor and delivery unit, will permanently end on March 31, 2025, though deliveries in Fairmont have been on an extended diversion since August 2024. Expecting mothers will continue to be diverted to Mankato or another location of their choice until the official service closure. Two labor and delivery and eight postpartum beds will be deactivated as a result of this change.
Mayo says the primary reason for the change is the shortage of physicians in the area. The health system said it worked for several years to find the practitioners needed to provide these services in Fairmont, with no success. With the labor and delivery unit closure, consistently low patient numbers and the need to shift more Primary Care resources to the clinic to improve patient access, Mayo says inpatient pediatric admissions will also end as of March 31, 2025. Patients can receive inpatient pediatric care at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato or another facility of their choice.
“With physician shortages, ongoing recruitment challenges, and low surgical and birth volumes, we are unable to continue the experience and quality of care in Fairmont that we strive to provide,” said James Hebl, M.D., regional vice president, Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Minnesota in a release. “This is a personal and emotional topic for many. While these changes are challenging, the safety and sustainability of these services for our patients were central considerations in these decisions.”
Mayo Clinic Health System staff will support patients in transitioning their care as needed. Outpatient surgical and procedural consultations, prenatal, postnatal and gynecological care, and outpatient pediatric care will continue in Fairmont along with all other existing Fairmont-based services.
Minnesota law requires Mayo Clinic Health System to inform community members of facilities within 65 miles that deliver babies. Those facilities are:
· United Hospital District – Blue Earth
· Windom Area Health – Sanford
· Windom Family Medical Center
· New Ulm Medical Center – Allina Health
· Lakes Region Healthcare – Spirit Lake
· Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato
Mayo says all affected staff will have an opportunity to consider employment options with Mayo Clinic Health System or Mayo Clinic and will receive individualized support from Human Resources.
“We continue to work with our staff, community board of directors, the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation board of directors, the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation and other community stakeholders,” added Dr. Hebl.
Community members wishing to give feedback can do so by calling 507-594-2799, sending a message to [email protected] or mailing a letter to 1025 Marsh St., Mankato, MN, 56001.
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