United Hospital District apparently hasn't gotten the memo — its small hospital in Blue Earth, Minn., is growing and delivering more babies, even as other rural Minnesota hospitals shrink and shut down delivery units. The independent provider even muscled in on Mayo Clinic's territory in south-central Minnesota and took some of its patients after the world-renowned medical system announced it would close its birthing unit in nearby Fairmont next year. Whether United Hospital District is a blueprint for the rest of the state is unclear, but it is at least a source of hope for Minnesota's struggling rural hospitals. Statewide, 28 hospitals lost money on institutional operations in 2022, and nine announced they would close childbirth wards or other units this year in response to declining demand or staffing shortages.
