It’s interesting to me that, over in the next county, Blue Earth never joined the Mayo Clinic Health System and retains its own independent hospital. If it had joined Mayo, perhaps that community, too, would be facing consolidation and loss of key community services. Would patients there be facing travel to the Mayo-run facility in Fairmont 18 miles away?

Probably.

Instead, Blue Earth’s United Hospital District not only has a hospital in Blue Earth, it has clinics in Blue Earth, Fairmont, Wells and Winnebago. Sounds like a financially sound operation.

In Fergus Falls, the leaders at that hospital never joined with neighboring providers such as Sanford or Essentia and, like Blue Earth, they decided to remain independent. Lake Region Heathcare has a hospital that seems to keep its doctors (among them the mayor of Fargo) in addition to having clinics in Ashby, Barnesville, Battle Lake and two in Fergus Falls. When I resided in Fergus, I was impressed at how involved in the community Lake Region was and the fine reputation it had.

What’s more, both Blue Earth and Fergus Falls — combined — still are smaller in population than Albert Lea. Think about that. Someone would really have to mess up to not run a profitable hospital in Albert Lea.

It makes a person wonder this: If the leaders at Naeve Hospital and Albert Lea Clinic in 1997 knew that in 20 years Mayo would close inpatient services, would they have opted to merge?

Today, it looks like remaining independent would have been the wise choice.

For the sake of my many senior-citizen friends in Albert Lea who desire local care, I hope the city and county leaders take swift action.

Tim Engstrom

former Albert Lea resident

Minneapolis