55,000 People United by a Need for Local Full-Service Healthcare
The Albert Lea Healthcare Coalition was established to promote the overall health and wellness of the residents of Albert Lea, Freeborn County and surrounding communities. Our mission is, "Local access to high-quality affordable healthcare, inspired by community involvement."
This objective includes the promotion of healthcare market competition, the expansion of access to essential healthcare services, and the improvement of healthcare outcomes for the residents of Albert Lea, Freeborn County and surrounding communities.
ALHC has been approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity governed by 10 volunteer non-paid trustees who have set forth the following core values as guiding principles to operate under:
- Community Focused – our mission centers solely on the healthcare of the citizens of Albert Lea and the surrounding area, and is not for the benefit of any given healthcare provider.
- Integrity – we are going to avoid conflicts of interest at all cost. For example, we will not have representation by MercyOne or any other healthcare provider on our Board of Trustees.
- Respectful – we will treat our citizens and community with dignity and respect. Our goal is to be a model corporate citizen.
- Transparent – we need to earn and retain your trust, and this can only be achieved by being forthright.
- Collaborative – together – citizens, city, county, MercyOne, and ALHC – we will build and operate a facility that provides affordable high-quality healthcare.
In a nutshell, we want to regain control of the healthcare services provided to our citizens and restore lost services. Toward this end, we have put together a detailed five-step business plan for the development of a full-service clinic and outpatient surgery center, contracted with MercyOne to staff and operate the facility, raised millions of dollars from private donors, bought a 64,000 square foot building, hired an architect and project manager, went out to bid, and formally approved the bid winner (which has not yet been made public) – and all without one dime of public money to date.