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Mayo Clinic To Invest $5B In New Campus With 'Health Neighborhoods'

Mayo Clinic is planning a complete redesign of its Rochester, Minnesota, campus, eliminating the traditional healthcare model and creating "health neighborhoods" in its place.

The Mayo Clinic In Rochester, Minnesota

The $5B campus will add five new buildings totaling 2.4M SF constructed between St. Marys Hospital, the system's oldest facility, and its newer buildings in Rochester's downtown area. The facilities will connect to Mayo Clinic's Gonda building and are slated for completion in 2030.

The neighborhoods, on a site fitted with new zoning laws, are part of Rochester's 20-year Destination Medical Center economic development plan, which centers on the new campus. Commercial development is happening in support of this plan, including a transit line, logistics center and 800 parking spots. The initiative will redevelop some sites already standing, such as the demolition of the former Lourdes school building to make way for a support facility. 

Neighborhoods will aim to streamline patients' medical needs by offering multiple services in one place. Patients will have access to the care from labs, consultations, imaging and clinics for services, like surgery or recovery, that typically require multiple appointments across multiple buildings in a traditional hospital setting.

"Healthcare is often felt by patients as being fragmented and episodic," said Craig Daniels, who is leading the project, according to MPR News.

Leaders say technological advancements using artificial intelligence and automation will assist in magnifying patient care and making it more efficient, according to MPR News.

Mayo leaders said they hope the health neighborhoods will provide continuous care to patients that require extensive treatment. The campus will focus on treating patients who have multiple health concerns, such as a relapsed cancer patient who is also pregnant, Daniels said. 

The initial plan for the campus was announced in June after the passage of the Nurse And Patient Safety Act. The law provides comprehensive workplace violence prevention measures, student loan debt forgiveness for nurses and nursing faculty and scholarships for childcare for those completing nursing programs. The Mayo Clinic threatened to pull millions of dollars of investments out of Minnesota healthcare if they weren't excluded from the bill. 

The Mayo Clinic is also in the process of building its largest facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and plans to spend $130M to add five stories, totaling 250K SF, to its Jacksonville, Florida, campus. 

Community Reacts To Mayo Clinic's Expansion; Mixed Emotions For Those In Med City

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(ABC 6 News) – Just 24 hours after Mayo Clinic's major $5 billion dollar expansion announcement, people in Rochester are taking in the news and what this means for the future of the Med City.

The project, dubbed "Bold. Forward. Unbound," seems to match how many in the community are feeling about the future facility expansion.

"Across the country, we are providing 21st century care in 20th century buildings," said Mayo Clinic CEO, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia. "It is simply by far not good enough."

It is Mayo Clinic's largest investment in its 160-year history, as the non-profit strives for excellence in worldwide healthcare.

Many living in the community say they are excited to be a part of the growing legacy.

"It's a cornerstone of everything around here," said Sammie Koppenhaver, whose husband works at Mayo. "I think it's neat to be close to that and get the opportunity to be treated there."

As history unfolds before our eyes, some that sit on the outskirts of the empire, hope the major move inspires others.

"We are the extension of Mayo care," said Pasquale Presa, the owner of Pasquale's Pizzeria. "If Mayo is number one, we need to think like that. If they put all the legwork in, we also have to follow suit and that's where we do follow suit."

That desire to be better, has many hoping it will eventually become prosperity for the entire Rochester community.

"It's exciting, it's reviving, it's how we prosper here in the medical city, the medical community," said Presa.

However, others say that Mayo Clinic officials should spend more time looking inside its own hospitals before constructing more.

"I would also like to see the current employees taken care of too," said Justin Foss, who has been born and raised in Rochester.

A man with an inside look into those that treat patients in the hospital, Foss says with family members working at Mayo Clinic, there has been a troubling theme that has not been addressed.

"It seems like a lot of it's been overworked and underpaid for the last three, four years since COVID," said Foss. "Maybe better spent elsewhere or other aspects of Mayo that could've benefited from that money."

Other people have shared similar feelings on social media.

One person posting on Facebook, stating "Maybe use that $5 billion to give employees better wages."

With the plan set in stone, all the Med City can do for now is watch Mayo Clinic continue to grow.

Construction is anticipated to begin early 2024 and wrap up in 2030.

Mayo Clinic Shares Details On Investment In Downtown Rochester

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Mayo Clinic has released plans about the former Lourdes High School building and other spots in downtown Rochester.

Details were shared about a new logistics center, new clinical buildings, and a "neighborhood" approach to patient care. The logistics center, located on the site of the former Lourdes High School, will focus on long-term growth of Mayo Clinic, according to a release. Mayo Clinic said there will be two new parking ramps with 1,300 parking spaces. The two new clinical buildings will be constructed where the Ozmun and Damon parking ramps are currently located. The new buildings will connect with the Gonda Building at multiple points, including a two-story skybridge connecting to Gonda's tenth floor.

The total investment is $5 billion over the next six years, according to Mayo.

The project will begin in early 2024 starting with building demolitions as a project workflow comes together. Mayo Clinic and the city of Rochester are working together on managing commutes in downtown Rochester during construction.

"Economic benefit that this project is going to bring our community is unbound," Kim Norton, Mayor of Rochester, said. "These are not just jobs, but careers for years to ahead."

Mayo Clinic will use first-of-its-kind multi-use spaces that will be able to shift form a patient room to an operating room to even an imaging suite as needed. It is turning to next-generation technology that Mayo said will transform healthcare using robotics, automation and generative AI.

"They shouldn't necessarily be doing that, instead they should be taking care of the patients," Dr. Amy Williams, Executive Dean of Practice at Mayo Clinic, said. "And allow automation to do that to free them up from those tasks to take care of the patients."

Mayo Clinic did not offer details, but say it is working with the city of Rochester to preserve and respect the history of the former Lourdes building but use that Mayo Clinic property to provide care for patients.

Watch the full announcement below.

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