Mayo Clinic announces plan to renovate, expand downtown campus

Photo: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

The Mayo Clinic has announced plans to renovate and expand its downtown campus in Rochester, Minnesota. The multiyear plan includes reimagining the former Lourdes High School site that Mayo Clinic purchased in 2013 with the intention of redeveloping the two-block area to accommodate future growth.

The current structure is largely unusable due to asbestos and flooding damage, Mayo said in Monday's announcement. The site could be redeveloped to serve as a new logistics building that would help optimize clinical space for patient care, while ensuring supplies are accessible and efficiently restocked.

Mayo Clinic said it would begin the process with the City of Rochester Heritage Preservation Commission, understanding approvals are necessary to redevelop this site.

State-of-the-art flexible physical spaces would be added to the downtown Rochester campus. These would allow for full integration of digital technology to better support the evolving needs of patients, staff and communities, Mayo said.

Mayo Clinic released no investment figures for the project.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The project, called "Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester," reinforces Mayo Clinic's commitment to the City of Rochester and State of Minnesota, Mayo said. It is an investment in Mayo Clinic's staff and patients, but also downtown Rochester, including redesigning the downtown footprint and partnering with local officials and businesses to help bolster economic growth and vitality, Mayo said. The health system said it is committed to sequencing the work to minimize disruption over the coming years.

Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester's design team is working closely with the city to find creative solutions that are proportionate to Mayo Clinic's downtown presence, including new parking infrastructure, such as the Discovery Square ramp, and a partnership with the planned Link Rapid Transit line.  

"Mayo Clinic has a long history of investing in Rochester," said Dr. Craig Daniels, physician leader of Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester. "Those investments, in both technology and buildings, have always served our patients' needs by empowering our teams with what they need to care for and cure those who need us," Daniels said by statement.

However, earlier this year, Mayo Clinic got an exemption to proposed hospital staffing legislation after allegedly sending an email to the Office of Governor Tim Walz threatening to move billions of dollars in future investments out of state if the bill included certain staffing provisions.

THE LARGER TREND

The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees recently approved a series of enabling projects that will allow the team to proceed with further planning and progress on the strategic initiative.

The project and plan will change as teams adapt and respond to new learnings, Mayo said. Many decisions are yet to be made, but proceeding with these enabling projects will allow Mayo Clinic to work with the City of Rochester, the community and its staff as the organization continues moving forward with planning.

ON THE RECORD

"Mayo Clinic has been a leader in healthcare transformation for 150 years, and patients across the world rely on Mayo Clinic to cure their serious and complex diseases," Daniels said. "We must continue transforming healthcare to fulfill our obligation to our patients, support our staff and ensure we continue to make the Mayo Clinic we inherited better for the next generation."

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org