New hospital debuts in Maple Grove, patients wanted

[Star Tribune, December 14, 2009] The metro's first new hospital in a decade will likely need patients— and patience, in this economy. Maple Grove is ''in this for the long run, even if the first few years are rocky," said a health care analyst.

Allina's Mercy Hospital is just 10 miles away in Coon Rapids. "We probably will see a slight decline in volume," Allina spokeswoman Gloria O'Connell said. "Still, we think it will be a minimal impact." Park Nicollet, which has a clinic in Maple Grove, has also instructed its doctors to continue referring their patients to its Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. Read the full story at startribune.com.