Independent hospital resists pressure to align with Mayo

ST. PETER, MINN. – As Colleen Spike walks the polished floors of the city-owned hospital here, she proudly shows off the private rooms with state-of-the-art whirlpool baths, healing sunlight and the latest in modular designs to accommodate families. After 16 years as head of River's Edge Hospital and Clinic, Spike has become a hero to some for fiercely defending its independence as giant medical centers have bought up similar facilities across the country. In southeastern Minnesota, the giant is the rapidly expanding Mayo Clinic. And the fight has grown contentious, with Spike complaining to the state attorney general about Mayo's "dangerous monopoly" and "predatory threats" in steering patients toward its own facilities.