North Memorial Health Nurses Make Plea Against Robbinsdale Hospital Cuts
Members of the Minnesota Nurses’ Association say 3,400 patients will soon lose care in Robbinsdale after a North Memorial Health announcement.
North Memorial Health is laying off 103 workers, eliminating its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and cutting outpatient mental health services. Those changes are said to all take effect by late August.
Nurses and other supporters gathered outside the hospital in Robbinsdale on Monday afternoon to share personal testimonies with the press.
One of those speakers was Jen Martinson, a cardiac nurse and new mom who had her child at the Robbinsdale hospital. Her child spent time in the NICU.
“If a baby is born at North Memorial Robbinsdale and needs NICU… there will be no team of NICU nurses to resuscitate that infant,” Martinson said.
A small crowd gathered at the Manor Park Picnic Pavillion Monday afternoon.
Leah Limric, an ER nurse and psychiatry patient, said she already sees the strain from both sides.
“I’ve seen people stuck in the ER for 10 days because there are no inpatient beds available within North or the surrounding hospitals. Yet, North has decided this is one of the areas they should make cuts,” Limric said.
For her own mental health treatment, Limric said she sees her psychiatrist every three weeks. She said finding a provider wasn’t easy, and switching facilities won’t be either.
“So many people are in need of mental health care right now, especially since COVID,” Limric said. “A person may need to wait six months or more before being able to get in for an appointment.”
North Memorial Challenges
North Memorial Health CEO Trevor Sawallish said in a March Maple Grove council meeting that the health system is at its financial breaking point.
“Majority of our Robbinsdale campus is our biggest financial challenge,” Sawallish said to the council. “Three quarters of the patients we serve there are under some sort of government payment scenario. And what that basically means is that is either under-reimbursed or unreimbursed care to a very, very high level at Robbinsdale campus.”
In the meeting, Sawallish said about three of every four patients admitted to the Robbinsdale hospital receive some sort of government assistance, higher than the state average. The hospital is also a Level I trauma center.
The health system also said in a statement to CCX news that the cuts are “difficult for everyone.”
“Our recent workforce and service reductions are difficult for everyone—most importantly, for team members and the patients we serve. Unfortunately, these decisions, while challenging, were made out of financial necessity to ensure North Memorial Health can continue to deliver on our mission today and into the future. We’ve been clear about the $100M+ negative impact of government programs to the operations of Robbinsdale Hospital and our need for public funding support. Despite overwhelming community advocacy, state resources are not forthcoming, and our Hennepin County Commissioners stand in opposition to helping us. We are running out of time during this legislative session.”
Hennepin County ended its agreement with North Memorial to help cover the cost of patients on government programs. That agreement was set to run from May 2023 until Dec. 31, 2024. The county board terminated the agreement early in a 4-1 vote on Jan. 2.
Sawallish is pushing for the passage of legislation, House file 3943 and Senate file 3838, which would allow North Memorial Health to be placed into Medicaid’s direct payment funding program. The program requires local funding to leverage federal dollars, which is why North Memorial is seeking county help.
Nurses Call for Transparency
At the rally, the nurses are asking the health system to share its expenses before cutting any programs.
Nurse Shiori Konda-Muhammad said the MNA opposes all cuts until the book is open. MNA leaders accused the hospital system of investing in the wealthier community’s facility.
“What would it take to not lose access to these essential services?” Konda-Muhammad asked. “Are they truly due to the reason they stated? Or is the community we serve being deprived of essential services in interest of pursuing growth, expansion and more profit?”
