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Mayo Clinic Health System last week announced it will close its Lake Mills location permanently and transition clinical services to its location in Albert Lea.

As an alternative option, it will have a mobile health clinic in Lake Mills two days per week every other week for face-to-face primary care appointments.

The Lake Mills clinic had been temporarily closed since Aug. 4 due to “significant interior air quality issues and infrastructure concerns,” the health system stated in a press release. After evaluating the resources needed to continue the Lake Mills practice, Mayo concluded that reopening the facility was not feasible.

The release stated the Lake Mills care team has been staffing the mobile unit, and Mayo Clinic Health System will continue to assess the long-term use of the service in Lake Mills.

“We understand how important it is for patients to receive health care as close to home as possible,” said Robert Albright Jr., regional vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System in Southeast Minnesota. “Even though our Lake Mills location will no longer offer in-person health care, we are confident that our nearby Mayo Clinic Health System locations will provide uninterrupted options to best meet our patients’ needs.”

Albright said Mayo remains committed to serving the needs of its patients and will continue to adapt to the evolving health care landscape — particularly in rural areas.

“We will strive to provide the best care possible,” he said. “We also plan to continue collaborating with our community leaders, local officials, public health staff, transportation services and other agencies to assess the health and well-being needs of the community and

develop collaborative solutions.”

The dates scheduled for the mobile unit in the coming weeks are as follows:

• Oct. 16
• Oct. 18
• Oct. 30
• Nov. 1
• Nov. 13
• Nov. 15
• Nov. 27
• Nov. 29