Mahnomen Health Center Seeking Bonding Dollars for New Hospital & Nursing Home

Mahnomen, MN — The Minnesota Legislature is working on the bonding bill this week, which could include nearly 2 billion dollars’ worth of infrastructure and facility projects across the state. After failing to pass last year, Mahnomen community leaders are hoping that this year their Mahnomen Hospital project will be included  and they will finally be able to move forward with the $40 million replacement of their aging hospital and nursing home. The joint combination between the Mahnomen Health Center, the City of Mahnomen, and Mahnomen County are seeking $30 million in state bonding dollars for the project, along with another $10 million in nursing home moratorium exemption funding.

With over 3,500 ER visits a year, Mahnomen County Commissioner Darvin Schoenborn and Mahnomen County Administrator CJ Holl say this hospital, which was built in 1957, is a life-link for the community.

A condition assessment completed in 2019 estimated that the current facility would require between $12-15 million just to take care of maintenance needs, and ultimately showed building a new hospital and nursing to be the more effective route. Mahnomen County Engineer and Mahnomen Health Center Board Chair Jon Large previews what a new hospital and nursing home would look like.

Without the help of the Minnesota Legislature, this project wouldn’t be possible. Holl and Schoenborn encourage you to reach out to your legislators and tell them to fund this project.

Large estimates that if they were to secure funding, they could break ground on the project in 2024 and it would take approximately 18 months to complete.