11-29-2023 7:34pm

Mayo Clinic Leaders Announce $5B Expansion In Rochester

Tom Akaolisa Editor

Mayo Clinic is about to embark on the biggest and most ambitious expansion of its Rochester campus in its 160-year history in its latest effort to transform patient care.

“Across the country we’re providing 21st-century care in 20th-century buildings,” said Mayo CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia. “It is simply by far not good enough.”

Mayo previously announced a multi-year plan to invest in downtown Rochester, including adding onto the current campus as well as building new and remodeled spaces. Tuesday, Mayo leaders said its $5 billion investment as part of its “Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester” campaign isn’t just about new buildings. They say it’s about an “entirely different way of thinking how we use space and understand space in health care” so that it can adapt to changing needs of patients and staff.

“We feel the obligation to advance health care, research and education to serve our patient’s needs,” said Dr. Craig Daniels, a physician leader on the project. “This is who we are.”

The project will add five new buildings and about 2.4 million square feet to the flagship campus. Separate improvements are already underway at other facilities from Florida to Arizona. Daniels says the buildings will be so high-tech they will allow physicians to serve patients in ways never possible before.

“For example, our new facilities will give care teams the tools to transform care models and experiences through an intelligent building that uses predictive analytics and robotics,” he said.

The new campus will revolutionize both inpatient and outpatient care.

Mayo plans to finance the expansion through a “combination of financing based on operating margins, investments, new borrowing and contributions,” according to documents released at the announcement.

The State of Minnesota is financing millions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects in Rochester that will help Mayo as part of the Destination Medical Center program passed by the Legislature in 2018.

Gov. Tim Walz attended the Mayo announcement on Tuesday. “There is no more important place on the planet and no more important work being done for humanity than is being done in this spot in Rochester, Minnesota,” he told the hundreds of Mayo employees and civic leaders who attended the announcement.

Walz also issued the following statement on Tuesday: