Rural clinic closures in southern Minnesota and UCare’s departure from Medicare Advantage will impact patient access, affordability and continuity of care.
“Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) clinical services in Belle Plaine, Caledonia, Montgomery, Northridge (North Mankato) and St. Peter will transition to nearby MCHS locations by December 10, 2025,” The Mayo Clinic wrote on their website. “Our top priority is ensuring you continue to receive reliable, high-quality care, often with your same provider, at another MCHS clinic.”
Mayo Clinic Health System indicated it will close six southern Minnesota clinics by Dec. 10, 2025. The impacted facilities are Belle Plaine, Caledonia, Montgomery, Northridge (North Mankato), St. Peter and Wells.
For patients, these changes would mean longer drives to appointments and surgeries.
Mikayla Grenburg is a young mother in the Mankato area who expressed her frustration on her Instagram story a few days following the news of the clinic closures. The two closest clinics to her, Northridge [North Mankato] and St. Peter, will be closing, and she will now need to drive to Mankato to receive medical care.
“Now I have to travel an extra 20 minutes there and back just to get my son his needed medical care. Traveling that much extra time with a few-month-old baby is difficult,” Grenburg said.
Mayo assures that all staff from the closing clinics will be employed elsewhere within the system and that it will facilitate the transfer of care for patients.Additionally, Mayo will relocate elective outpatient services in orthopedics, podiatry, endoscopy, ophthalmology and gynecology from Albert Lea to their Austin and Waseca campuses. Preoperative and postoperative services, as well as emergency services, will remain in Albert Lea.
Mayo officials cite declining volumes of patients, chronic staff shortages and antiquated facilities as primary reasons for the relocation.
The trend is not isolated to Mayo Clinic. Allina Health is also closing some clinics this fall, including sites in Inver Grove Heights, Maplewood and Oakdale, as well as on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.
“Allina Health’s decisions to change services are part of an effort to ensure long-term sustainability and maintain excellence in care delivery for the patients and communities we serve,” Allina Health wrote in a statement on Sep. 9. “The health care industry, including Allina Health, continues to navigate current financial pressures related to the rising cost to deliver care, falling reimbursements, and the expected impacts of funding cuts for critical health care programs like Medicaid.”
Dr. Kartik Ghosh, vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System in Minnesota, told MPR that they cannot spread out care teams across sites.
The Crest reached out for comment on September 25, October 3 and October 15. The Mayo Clinic did not respond before the publishing of the article.
“What we are doing is strengthening sites. Brick and mortar is one aspect of it, but we also have to look at novel ways of reaching our patients through technologies.”
Health policy analysts, Soroush Saghafian, Lina D Song and Ali S Raja show that the trend of clinics closing and insurance company departures is evidence that there are more cracks in the state health care system.
With additional consolidation on the horizon, Minnesota patients may have to get used to longer travel times, higher out-of-pocket costs and the possibility of losing their current health care relationships.
Older adults have fewer and sometimes more expensive insurance choices, according to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
Livia Johnson, a St. Thomas nursing student, said that forcing sick and injured people to travel farther to get care can be risky.
“Traveling an even longer distance than normal can lead to more stress for these individuals, which can lead to worsening conditions in the long run,” Johnson said.
From Mayo Clinic’s closures to Allina Health’s reorganization and UCare’s pullout from Medicare Advantage, Minnesotans—particularly those in rural Minnesota and the elderly—will struggle to afford and receive health care.
Policymakers, providers and insurers will all be under pressure to identify solutions that maintain access and affordability for patients.
“I hope that the care we are going to receive is the same.” Grenburg said. “I also hope that we are able to stay with this location long term.”
Caroline Raleigh can be reached at rale6166@stthomas.edu.
