Nurses at North Memorial condemn recent cuts

Nurses at North Memorial Health Hospital are condemning recent cuts to services for vulnerable patients.

This comes after an announcement in March that the hospital will close their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by May 25th and close all outpatient mental health services.

At the end of August, cardiac nurse Jen Martinson spoke on behalf of NICU nurses who are facing layoffs due to the closure.

"If North Memorial is struggling financially is it the patients? Why is it the patients who suffer the consequences? The community around North Memorial-Robbinsdale deserve better," says Martinson.

Nurses say more than 3,400 community members are at risk of losing mental health services and that babies born at North Memorial will be at a higher risk due to the decision in Robbinsdale.

The Minnesota Nurses Association say they believe North Memorial is choosing to invest in hospitals in wealthier communities like Maple Grove while cutting resources in Robbinsdale.

"It is not fair to the staff or the patients for North Memorial to focus its resources on more lucrative areas of medicine or the hospital with a wealthier suburban population," says ER Nurse Leah Limerick. "Mental health problems do not discriminate against age race or gender. And you may never know which individuals around you are truly struggling."