Allina Health is making changes to services and care access at two of its campuses: Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minn., and Mercy Hospital-Unity Campus in Fridley, Minn.
The Minneapolis-based health system made the announcement Feb. 13, saying the changes are "another step to ensure both campuses are best equipped to support our patients and communities with high-quality care well into the future."
According to a news release shared with Becker's, the changes include:
- Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids housing all intensive care units.
- All surgeries occurring at the Coon Rapids campus.
- Increased surgical capacity at the Coon Rapids campus.
- Repositioning ambulatory services at the Mercy Hospital-Unity campus to other Allina locations.
- Closure of inpatient pediatric beds at the Coon Rapids campus.
- Repositioning the inpatient pediatric unit at the Coon Rapids campus to become adult beds.
Allina attributed the changes to several factors, including low ICU census at the Mercy Hospital-Unity campus, decreasing volumes for pediatric inpatient care at the Coon Rapids campus and operating rooms at the Mercy Hospital-Unity campus that would soon need costly renovations.
"We will work with the exceptional children's hospitals in our community to ensure care pathways," the health system said.
Allina spokesperson Jennifer Steingas told Becker's there are also nearly 2,000 open positions throughout the health system, and "we are going to great lengths to match the majority of impacted employees with open roles throughout Allina Health."
Ms. Steingas said the changes do not affect Allina's system office or C-suite. No additional information was provided about the number of affected employees.
The Minnesota Nurses Association expressed opposition to the changes, saying the repositioning "underscores need to hold executives accountable to patient needs."
According to the union, the changes will affect more than 60 MNA full-time equivalent registered nurse positions at the Mercy Hospital-Unity campus.
"Nurses in these units want to work; they have worked at the bedside for years, despite decades of degrading conditions under Allina executive leadership that have put care and working conditions at the bedside in jeopardy," the union said in a statement.
"While we notified MNA, as required by contract, it is our hope all nurses will accept a placement to continue working at Allina Health," Ms. Steingas said.