Austin: Our History

St. Olaf Hospital, founded by Dr. Olav H. Hegge who was a physician and surgeon, opened its doors in 1896. The hospital served 157 patients during its first year. Today, Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin has an acute care hospital with 80 beds providing Austin and the surrounding communities with a number of medical specialties, ranging from comprehensive trauma care to a family-oriented women's special care maternity program.

The Austin Clinic was founded in 1919 with a staff of four physicians and surgeons: Dr. C. F. Lewis, Dr. Emery Rebman, Dr. C.C. Allen, and Dr. W.B. Grise. By 1929, the physicians needed more space and moved into a new building specifically built for clinic practice. In 1959, Austin Clinic significantly expanded its Austin base of operation by opening up another new clinic to meet the increasing demand for medical care in the community.

In 1989, St. Olaf Hospital and the Austin Clinic entered a joint venture and worked closely with one another throughout the years. When they became affiliated with Mayo Clinic Health System in 1995, the medical entity became known as Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin.

On May 23, 2011, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System rebranded their integrated system to be known as Mayo Clinic Health System.

Our connection with Mayo Clinic provides patients with the opportunity to receive care from visiting specialists and allows seamless access to specialty services at Mayo Clinic when appropriate. Our close relationship with Mayo Clinic is also evident through professional relationships between physicians, allied health staff, administrators and all employees who work collaboratively throughout the system.

Together, Mayo Clinic Health System and Mayo Clinic have combined their medical systems and joined to form a regional medical center that will ensure access for patients to all aspects of healthcare delivery, improve efficiencies and assure additional resources to meet the ever-expanding medical needs of the Austin area.