MAHNOMEN — Leaders of the Mahnomen Health Center have announced plans to eliminate inpatient hospital services by transitioning from critical access to a rural emergency hospital.
According to a submission to the Minnesota Department of Health, the health center will continue to provide outpatient and emergency services.
As required by state law, the health department will host a virtual public hearing on the transition at 6 p.m. on April 30.
Mahnomen Health Center opened in 1959 and is jointly owned by Mahnomen County and the city of Mahnomen.
The health center currently has 10 beds and operates a 32-bed skilled nursing facility, serving about 5,500 residents in Mahnomen County, White Earth Reservation and the surrounding area. The skilled nursing facility is not affected by this change, according to the health department.
The Mahnomen County Board was briefed on the reclassification in December 2023, when Mahnomen Health Center CEO Dale Kruger explained the reimbursements from Medicaid would positively impact the hospital’s finances under a rural emergency model.
Congress established the Rural Emergency Hospital designation in 2020 in an effort to maintain access to emergency services in communities that might not be able to support a critical access hospital.
More information about the hearing and a form to submit public comment can be found on the Mahnomen Health Center Public Hearing webpage of the MDH website.
-
ContributedDozens of ticks as part of a study with the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute were submitted from the Bemidji area. -
Contributed/MN DNRBow hunters harvested more than 30,000 deer during the 2025 archery season — an all-time high. The 2026 season runs from Sept. 19 through Dec. 31. -
Emma Krab/KAXEThe mining company celebrated a $770 million federal loan and the production of its first concentrate at a blast event Sept. 17, 2026. Two days earlier, it announced the "next phase of investment" at an Itasca County Board meeting. -
Contributed/Minnesota SenateProsecutors are calling for five years in prison for the former Grand Rapids state senator. His defense team is arguing for time already served, plus five years of supervision. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe Iron Range offers a window into communities reckoning with how their identities must change for the betterment of future generations as schools increasingly collaborate. -
And: Mesabi Metallics eyes massive expansion as production of first pellets ramps up. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXERelatives confirmed that 17-year-old Dylon Oothoudt of Walker was the male found dead Sept. 13, 2026, in a Cass Lake yard. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide by gunshot wound. -
Contributed/Brainerd Fire Department FacebookThe National Weather Service and public safety officials will be able to use data collected by the Climavision radar installed Sept. 15, 2026, to inform weather warnings. -
Plus: MN Court of Appeals to host oral arguments at Pequot Lakes High School.
-
Emma Krab/KAXEAll county cameras have been removed as of Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. Cameras under city jurisdiction may remain.
