Allina Health makes plans to close Faribault Birth Center at the end of November

The Allina Health Birth Center in Faribault will close at the end of the month, following its decision to consolidate labor and delivery services in southern Minnesota.

According to a press release from Allina Health, the changes follow the Mayo Clinic Health System’s decision to end its agreement to provide on-call labor and delivery coverage at Owatonna Hospital on November 17.

Allina said the Mayo Clinic’s decision led them to shift towards a “regional obstetric care model,” which they claim will leverage the strengths of both the Faribault Medical Center and Owatonna Hospital.

However, Allina said that under this new model, only one birthing center can be supported in the long term. It was decided that labor and delivery services would be consolidated at Owatonna Hospital, and the Faribault Birth Center would close.

“Maintaining rural labor and delivery programs is increasingly challenging due to provider shortages, long recruitment timelines, declining birth volumes, and low reimbursement rates,” said Whitney Johnson, president, Faribault Medical Center and Owatonna Hospital. “We understand that service changes can be difficult for the community. We want to assure our patients, care team members, and the larger community that we’ve carefully evaluated our options. This service integration allows us to prioritize safe, high-quality and sustainable care while ensuring continued access to these vital obstetric services for our region.”

The decision has drawn the ire of the Minnesota Nurses Association(MNA), which has condemned Allina’s decision to close the birth center in Faribault.

The MNA claims that Allina is rushing the birth center’s closure and alleges it did not provide a legally required 182-day notice of the center’s closure and did not hold a public hearing within 30 days of the public notice.

“Allina’s decision to close the Faribault Birth Center will impact families and add to economic stress because they must travel further for care,” said Lynn Auseth, RN at Allina Faribault Medical Center. “MNA will work closely with affected nurses who will be left without a job.”

The Faribault Birth Center is scheduled to close on December 1.
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