Yes, folks, it has been finally confirmed the inmates are running the Mayo health care nuthouse in Rochester. If you read the article in the Aug. 17 Albert Lea Tribune, you will see what I refer to. If I remember correctly, they just spent several million dollars adding new floors on the hospital building here in our city. It has been the place where a number of babies have been born over many years. So why would any group of people in their right senses remove that facility from the place where a large amount of money was used to move to a completely different $11.1 million facility miles away? Would it not make more sense to use that money to keep the delivery room and ICU here, which is needed if a mother or newborn develops any problems during or after birth? This would prevent the need of the ER having to deliver babies of those who could not make it the extra 20 miles to Austin. You could certainly staff the local delivery facility with the $11.1 million projected to be spent on the new birthing center in Austin.

Most kids, including myself, never needed a multi-million dollar building when we were brought into the world, nor our six kids and seven grands and five greats. There are going to be a lot of babies born before Mayo can spend that $11.1 million. Will this enhance patient experience or give Mayo a reason to charge more? It has been my thought and that of my daughter and her husband, who are both doctors, that health care was about taking care of people, not about greed, which seems to prevail with present day Mayo health care.

Jim Jirele

Albert Lea