New Prague hospital's labor ward set to close

NEW PRAGUE, Minn. (FOX 9) - About 75 people from the greater New Prague community rattled off questions at a public forum on Tuesday night, after the Mayo Clinic Health System announced the closure of a local labor ward.

"It is nice to have this in the community and I’m sorry to see it go," former patient Lisa Realander told FOX 9 before the virtual meeting.

Mayo New Prague will end its labor and delivery services on Friday night. 

During Tuesday’s public hearing, a regional vice president said it was not a financial decision, but one that’s needed after just 92 babies were delivered in 2022, and 98 babies in 2023.

(FOX 9)

In addition, one of two New Prague physicians retired in December; and now the second physician has requested an unexpected personal leave. Despite aggressive recruitment efforts to fill the openings, Mayo Clinic’s management says as of next Monday they would not have had a physician in place; due to a nationwide physician shortage in rural places.

"I think it’s going to put a lot of people in rural areas at a disadvantage," Realander continued. "But I understand that they are delivering less babies there."

The New Prague site will continue to provide care before and after birth; but all labor and delivery service patients will have to look to facilities in Shakopee, Northfield, Faribault or Mankato.

"All of those places are going to be about a half an hour from here," Realander finished. "And then if you have an emergency, and you are pregnant, you’re going to have to go through the emergency room where you’re not going to have specialty care."