![Eloise Adams carried antiques on the sidewalk, as she started the morning at her shop "Adams Originals Shop" Thursday August 24,2017 in Albert Lea, MN. Elise and her husband Jack Adams have been married for 57 years, and their last child was born at the Mayo Hospital. Jack has had two strokes, and is worried about what he would do if the hospital were to close. The Mayo Clinic's plan to remove key inpatient and obstetrics services from its hospital in Albert Lea has caused uproar. ] JERRY HOLT &](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/45829927/e83973f8eabc3f64cec6a961511b461e6acef5879592ff98b070cdf2daeafe95)
Overview
- Clinics in Belle Plaine, Caledonia, Montgomery, Northridge (North Mankato), St. Peter and Wells will close by Dec. 10, with services transitioning to nearby Mayo locations.
- Elective procedures in ophthalmology, orthopedics/podiatry, endoscopy and gynecology will move from Albert Lea to Austin and Waseca, while non‑elective surgeries continue in Albert Lea alongside an emergency department upgrade.
- Mayo attributes the changes to persistent clinician shortfalls, lower demand, inconsistent clinic hours and facility limitations at some sites.
- Patients will be notified with options to continue care with their current provider at another Mayo site or transfer to a different system, with expanded scheduling help, transportation solutions and virtual‑care offerings to ease longer trips of about 10 to 20 minutes.
- Mayo says affected staff can relocate within the system and keep their jobs, as local advocates such as Save Our Hospital voice concern over reduced services in Albert Lea.