The hospital board was formed in the 1960s with the aim of building and supporting Unity Hospital, according to the Star Tribune. However, the board believes its services and support are no longer needed now that Unity Hospital is run by Minneapolis-based Allina Health.
“The Hospital District Board determined that it could no longer provide healthcare facilities focused on the citizens in its participating cities,” the board said in a statement, according to the Star Tribune. “[The board] was formed when healthcare was a local issue and hospitals were stand-alone entities providing a broad range of services.”
The board’s unanimous vote to dissolve comes after Allina announced it intends to merge Unity Hospital and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minn., under one license. The two hospitals will begin operating under one license Jan. 1, 2017.
The board also voted to stop collecting taxes from its five service areas to support Unity Hospital in 2017, according to the report.
Three candidates for the North Suburban Hospital District Board opposed the board’s decision to disband. Linda Hamilton, a candidate and former president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, believes the board is needed to resist changes Allina wants to make at Unity.
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