FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shannon Cunningham
(c) 651-269-1418
Shannon.Cunningham@mnnurses.org
Erin Moriarty
(c) 651-202-0845
Erin.Moriarty@mnnurses.org
(Fridley, MN) – Sept 24, 2025 – Allina Health’s plan to shut down the inpatient chemical dependency unit at Mercy Hospital–Unity Campus in February 2026 has sparked outrage from nurses, patients, and community advocates, who warn the closure will devastate access to lifesaving addiction care in the north metro.
“Closing this unit and scattering patients elsewhere in the hospital will be disastrous,” said Laurie Brodersen, RN. “This is a locked unit with experienced nurses who know how to care for this vulnerable population and prevent relapse. Placing these patients in the hospital’s general population strips away the safety and structure they need, making real recovery far less likely. Allina isn’t just shutting down a unit — it’s dismantling expertise and trust built over years of care.”
Mercy Hospital — across its Coon Rapids and Unity campuses — treats more chemical dependency patients than nearly any other hospital in Minnesota, with the second-highest admissions in the state and 14% of all cases statewide. Closing Unity’s dedicated unit doesn’t just reduce capacity; it guts one of the state’s most heavily relied-upon centers for addiction care.
The Unity Campus inpatient chemical dependency unit is designed to provide the structure, safety, and focus that patients with severe addiction need to recover. Nurses warn that relocating these patients to open-floor hospital units will put patients at greater risk of relapse, undermine their recovery, and deny them the level of care and appropriate setting patients require.
The Minnesota Department of Health will hold a public hearing Thursday, September 25 at 6 p.m. at Unity Campus in Fridley. The hearing, required by state law, will provide a forum for patients, care providers, and community members to share concerns about Allina’s decision and the impact it will have on patient care and access to services.
This latest cut continues a troubling pattern by Allina Health:
- Abbott Northwestern’s Infusion Department shut down in 2023.
- United Hospital’s Pain Center closed.
- United Hospital’s Infusion Department shut down earlier this month.
- After cutting Unity’s pediatric beds last year, Allina now plans to close Unity’s Inpatient Chemical Dependency Unit and Abbott Northwestern’s Inpatient Kidney Transplant Program.
At the same time, Allina reported $230 million in profit from its Quest Diagnostics venture, partnered with UnitedHealth Group to expand lucrative ambulatory surgery centers, and continues investing in executive compensation.
“This is the behavior of a Wall Street corporation, not a not-for-profit healthcare system,” said Gail Olson, RN. “Allina is taking public dollars while turning its back on vulnerable patients, the community, and the nurses who’ve given decades to this work. That’s not care. That’s corporate greed.”
The closure will force patients into less supportive environments, endanger recovery outcomes, and displace dedicated nurses whose specialized skills cannot be easily replaced.
Patients, nurses, and community members demand that Allina Health keep the Unity Campus inpatient chemical dependency unit open and reinvest in patient care — not profit.