ROCHESTER, Minn. — Plans are underway for a massive new project in downtown Rochester.
"I would say that we are trying to be transparent and plan with our partners in the city, community and let our staff know," said Dr. Craig Daniels, a physician leader with Mayo Clinic earlier today.
Daniels said the redevelopment plan will add several new buildings for both clinical and operational purposes - allowing the integration of new state-of-the-art digital technology.
"We know that we need to provide those physical spaces, for that care to occur, we have to reinvest in the core of our campus," he said. "We went to the board of trustees and we asked them to approve a set of projects that would allow us to progress."
The board recently approved first steps for the project like site surveys and street studies.
This announcement comes on the heels of the passing of the Nurse and Patient Safety Act.
The Mayo Clinic previously threatened to pull millions of dollars in investments out of Minnesota should its health system be included in a previous version of the bill.
After the legislation was changed to exclude the Mayo, the bill's sponsor, Representative Sandra Feist said "This is not what we came here to do, but this is still a meaningful step forward for nurses that they deserve."
While the new Mayo Clinic initiative focuses on redeveloping several sites - including the former Lourdes HS site purchased in 2013, project leaders say their goal is to foster connection in the community - transforming downtown Rochester for years to come.
"That's the strategy for mayo clinic to transform healthcare by curing more patients and connecting with them digitally," he said.
Project leaders say this initiative could take up to six years to complete.
Construction is expected to begin early next year.
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