Mahnomen Health Center Plans to Eliminate Inpatient Hospital Services

Mahnomen Health officials have announced plans to eliminate inpatient hospital services at their facility in Mahnomen.

The plan is to transition from a critical access hospital to a rural emergency hospital, which does not have inpatient services or swing beds. According to the submission filed by Mahnomen Health Center, the facility will continue to provide outpatient services and emergency services to the community.

The Star Tribune reports that the move to eliminate inpatient services is meant to keep the center open in the midst of financial shortfalls.

The Minnesota Department of Health will hold a public hearing on April 30 at 6 p.m. concerning Mahnomen Health Center’s transition to a rural emergency hospital. The hearing will be hosted by MDH’s Health Regulation Division to provide a forum for the community to discuss the change and available alternatives for Mahnomen Health Center patients.

If the change takes place, the next nearest full-service hospitals to Mahnomen would be about 30 miles away in Fosston or Ada. The closest regional hospital would be about 35 miles away in Detroit Lakes.

Community members can join the meeting via the Microsoft Teams event here or by calling 651-395-7448 and using the access code 898 653 172#. More information on the meeting can be found on the MDH website.