Mayo Clinic announced this morning that it will start conducting inpatient surgeries in Austin by early June as part of the controversial consolidation of its Albert Lean and Austin campuses.
Here's some from the Mayo Clinic press announcement on this change:
"Julie Hobbs, operations administrator at Mayo Clinic Health System for surgical services, says the transition timeline was influenced by many factors, such as availability of trained staff, space constraints and construction schedules. 'Our planning team has taken great care to ensure all workflows are in place, as well as staff hired and trained, to support inpatient surgeries moving to Austin,' says Hobbs. She adds these steps were necessary to ensure safe, high-quality care for our patients. 'It’s important to remember that most of the care patients receive now on the Albert Lea campus will remain in Albert Lea. On average about one inpatient surgery is performed per day now on the Albert Lea campus, which will move in June to Austin.'
The medical center acknowledges that this transition may create inconveniences to patients living in and around the Albert Lea area. 'We understand that change can be challenging for patients, families and visitors,' says Mark Ciota, M.D., CEO at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin. "We truly believe the benefits will outweigh the challenges associated with the change in location.'"
Since Mayo Clinic first announced the consolidation plan last summer, the Minnesota Nurses Association as well as the residents and leaders of the City of Albert Lea have loudly complained about Mayo Clinic's plan.
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They have accused Mayo Clinic of putting the bottom line first instead of their patients, despite Mayo's oft-repeated motto.
ICU services were shifted from Albert Lea to Austin in October 2017. The inpatient surgery move was scheduled for the start of 2018, but it was delayed due to what Mayo Clinic described as staffing shortages.
Watch for more on this soon.
