I am going to write this letter also to Dr. John Noseworthy, CEO of Mayo at Rochester. Also I’m sending this to the Rochester Post-Bulletin.

How can it possibly be justified that after receiving $424 million for Destination Medical Center  from the Legislature that you will reduce services at Albert Lea Medical Center? You claim it is because Albert Lea Medical lost $4 million That is small potatoes when compared to $424 million from the Legislature. You are very greedy and selfish.

We have had our hospital for 107 years, since 1910 serving our townspeople and all the many surrounding communities, also Iowa — all depending on Naeve Hospital. It has served our families faithfully and been depended on. Naeve Hospital is and has been a very important part of our lives and helped people we love. And now you and your Mayo big cheeses just waltz in here to announce you’ll be taking away the most important services out of Albert Lea and moving them to Austin hospital starting in October? Just who do you think you are? Whatever happened to credibility and honesty when you first offered to come over here and join us together? What about your promises to keep things and services the same?

Your trust from Albert Lea and all the many surrounding communities is broken — all gone — caput — destroyed and ruined. Please think about that when your head hits the pillow every night.

My dear mother, Mildred Kaehler, was 13 1/2 years at St. John’s nursing home and dad, Glenn Kaehler, was eight years at the home. My husband, Allen Mensson was not strong and well his last few years either. I don’t know how we’d have made it without their stays in Naeve Hospital. The doctors, nurses and all the help were so great to help mom, dad and Allen get back on their feet. If they’d been sent to an out-of-town hospital all those times, it would’ve been so much harder.

My daughter, Betsy Diekema’s grandfather, Dick Diekema Construction, built the new hospital in 1975. He was really proud of that and having such a wonderful hospital in Albert Lea. Grandpa Diekema would roll over in his grave if he knew the plans Dr. Noseworthy and his band of followers have planned for all of our people and hospital.

I always try really hard to be positive when I write a letter. I tell the doctor or nurses when somebody is seeing me that my blood type is B+ because I like to be positive. However there is nothing positive about this horrible plan Mayo is planning for our Albert Lea hospital! I hope they know the story about David and Goliath, the giant from the Bible. His slingshot did the giant in.

Judy Menssen

Albert Lea