Mayo Clinic to close Fairmont surgical, labor, and delivery units

(ABC 6 News) — Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont will be closing its surgical and labor and delivery units.  

Surgeries, procedures and inpatient obstetric care, including the labor and delivery unit, will permanently end on March 31, 2025, though deliveries in Fairmont have been on an extended diversion since August 2024.

Expecting mothers will continue to be diverted to Mankato or another location of their choice until the official service closure. Two labor and delivery and eight postpartum beds will be deactivated as a result of this change. 

According to a press release from Mayo, the primary reason for these changes is the critical shortage of physicians in the area. The lack of obstetricians is an issue across the U.S. — reports from the Department of Health and Human Services project that by 2030, there will be a shortage of more than 5,000 obstetricians/gynecologists nationwide.     

With the labor and delivery unit closure, consistently low patient numbers and the need to shift more Primary Care resources to the clinic to improve patient access, inpatient pediatric admissions will also sunset as of March 31, 2025. Patients can receive inpatient pediatric care at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato or another facility of their choice.

“With physician shortages, ongoing recruitment challenges, and low surgical and birth volumes, we are unable to continue the experience and quality of care in Fairmont that we strive to provide,” says James Hebl, M.D., regional vice president, Mayo Clinic Health System in Southwest Minnesota via the press release. “This is a personal and emotional topic for many. While these changes are challenging, the safety and sustainability of these services for our patients were central considerations in these decisions.” 

Mayo Clinic Health System staff will support patients in transitioning their care as needed. Outpatient surgical and procedural consultations, prenatal, postnatal and gynecological care, and outpatient pediatric care will continue in Fairmont along with all other existing Fairmont-based services. 

All affected staff will have an opportunity to consider employment options with Mayo Clinic Health System or Mayo Clinic and will receive individualized support from Human Resources.  

“We continue to work with our staff, community board of directors, the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation board of directors, the Fairmont Community Hospital Foundation and other community stakeholders,” adds Dr. Hebl via the press release. 

Minnesota statute requires that Mayo Clinic Health System informs community members of nearby facilities that deliver babies.

Below is a list of facilities that deliver babies within 65 miles of the Fairmont hospital: 

• United Hospital District – Blue Earth  
• Windom Area Health – Sanford  
• Windom Family Medical Center 
• New Ulm Medical Center – Allina Health  
• Lakes Region Healthcare – Spirit Lake 
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato