NEW PRAGUE, Minn. — Queen of Peace Hospital in New Prague, Minn., will join Mayo Clinic Health System on July 1, 2011.
The hospital and affiliated clinics in New Prague, Belle Plaine, Le Sueur and Montgomery will be renamed Mayo Clinic Health System following the merger. All health care insurance plans currently accepted at the hospital and clinics will continue to be accepted at Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague and affiliated clinics.
Queen of Peace Hospital is a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital and Level III Trauma Center serving a patient base of 60,000 in Scott, Le Sueur, Rice and Sibley counties. Established in 1952, Queen of Peace has been accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) since 1966.
"The merger with Mayo Clinic Health System ensures that patients from New Prague and other areas in the region will continue to have convenient access to high-quality inpatient and outpatient health care services close to home," says George Winn, D.D.S., chair of the Queen of Peace Board of Directors. "This is an exciting new chapter in the history of the hospital and clinics."
Queen of Peace began discussing a formal merger with Mayo Clinic Health System in May 2010, following an extensive review of several health care systems by the Queen of Peace Board of Directors.
"Mayo Clinic Health System is proud to welcome New Prague into the family of communities we serve in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin," says Rob Nesse, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System. "Patients can expect Mayo Clinic Health System physicians and staff to have a patient-centered focus and be dedicated to achieving the highest standards of care and health improvement for the community."
Greg Kutcher, M.D., a family physician and president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System organizations in Fairmont, Mankato, Springfield, St. James and Waseca, will become president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague. Mary Klimp, current Queen of Peace CEO, will become administrator of Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague and partner with Dr. Kutcher and other leaders in the medical center's management and operation.
The Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., have sponsored Queen of Peace Hospital since it opened in 1952. They acknowledge that, over the years, operating a hospital has become more complex even as their religious community has become smaller.
"During these past few months, while the Queen of Peace Board of Directors has been pondering whether a merger with Mayo Clinic Health System is the best option for the hospital, we Sisters have been pondering whether this is the time for us to withdraw from sponsorship due to the changing landscape of health care and a desire to shift our focus more toward other ministries. Our community decided now is a good time to discontinue our Catholic sponsorship," says Sister Nancy Bauer, prioress of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict. "Given Mayo's commitment to quality health care, their Franciscan roots and their ability to grow health care locally, we are confident the hospital is in good hands. We are excited about the future of Queen of Peace with Mayo and are grateful for the privilege of having been part of the New Prague community for 60 years."
"Merging with Mayo Clinic Health System will give our communities an opportunity to improve the availability of health care resources and ensure the presence of excellent, local health care for the future," says Klimp. "We want patients to be able to receive the vast majority of their health care locally, and if they need more specialized care, Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato and Mayo Clinic in Rochester will be there for them."
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