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Thanks to those who attended the meeting for Albert Lea People-Centered Health Care Forum on Oct. 14.

Persons from Albert Lea were in attendance to share their stories. Mary Hinnenkamp and Leslie Kaup facilitated the event. Minnesota health care leaders, Sen. Erin Murphy of St. Paul and Sen. Liz Boldon of Rochester, were there to hear responses and ideas for health care solutions.

Leslie questioned Sen. Murphy regarding our concerns of health care access in Albert Lea and across rural Minnesota, and offering health care as well as costs.

Recent trends in hospital closures and adverse hospital events have demonstrated a need for a public voice in the health care system dedicated to the interests of the people of Minnesota.

What was once a system with shared purpose around care has been replaced with a business model and decision-making driven by market sharing profit. Today’s market place in our state is resulting in a lack of access to hospital beds, mental health resources and clinics, making it harder for Minnesotans to access quality and affordable care where they live. (message taken from the Minnesota’s Health Care Meeting)

Also, people are now being sent to Austin or Rochester for medical help and still cannot be seen by a doctor or hospitalized because there are no beds or no doctors that are taking new patients.

The next meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 4 at Riverland College in Albert Lea.

The question brought up: Can senators and representatives introduce a bill into Congress to force Mayo to outfit the Albert Lea clinic back to the way it used to be or are they too big to be told what to do?

Thanks to Brad Arends and Mariah, ALHC trustees, for our beautiful clinic building, which we also need.

Albert Lea needs a hospital. So, if Mayo could not make enough money to keep it a full-service facility (in-patient care, delivery, etc.) then they could have allowed us to buy it back. Mayo reported $13.82 billion in revenue in 2019. Is that enough? They had funds to go overseas to build a hospital, leaving our small town and surrounding communities. Thanks to CEO Dr. Noseworthy and others.

William and Charles Mayo, the founders of Mayo Clinic, believed in community health and, most importantly, integrated care, which means if you tear apart maternity and patient care, you run counter to what Mayo stands for. This is not what Mayo Clinic was founded on!

My concern is for truckers and travelers. Albert Lea is a vital place to have a hospital because it is an important geographic location. It has two heavily traveled interstates, I-35 and I-90 going north, south, east and west. We are in desperate need of getting a hospital to meet the needs of 65,000 people in multiple counties as well as many travelers on the interstates. This is especially important to serve those who are traveling during inclement weather.

Democrats and Republicans, let us work together and get our clinic and our hospital up and operating.

From a former truck driver living in Albert Lea.

Mavis Jacobs Hanson
Albert Lea