ABOVE: Dr. Carina Crookston, family medicine/OB with United Hospital District (UHD) speaks about the services she can provide during a lunch and learn event Wednesday afternoon in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– United Hospital District (UHD), in an effort to inform the community about its obstetric (OB) services, held a lunch and learn event on Wednesday at the Southern Minnesota Educational Campus (SMEC) building in Fairmont.

About 20 people were in attendance, including several expectant mothers. In addition to the event being catered, KFMC handed out free blankets.

To start the event, Dr. Bob Karp, family medicine/OB, said, “We’re here to tell you that we’re providing OB services locally.”

He quickly touched on the fact that another medical facility, Mayo Clinic Health System, has recently decided that it’s “not finically feasible for them to continue services here.”

He was referring to Mayo’s recent announcement that it will end labor and delivery services at its Fairmont location in March of 2025.

Karp said that while UHD does not offer delivery services at its new Fairmont clinic location, they can be done at the hospital in Blue Earth, where obstetric services are located.

“We’re actually growing our obstetric services. We even next year have another doctor who is going through advanced training now and an OB fellowship who next year will be practicing. We want to keep these services local,” Karp said.

He said that while the delivery services won’t be as local as some people are used to, they are more local than other options.

Speaking more to the other options, Karp shared that UHD serves people from a wide region including those in northern Iowa.

“Our goal is to provide personable, safe, heathy care,” Karp said.

Next, Dr. Carina Crookston, a new member in the family medicine/OB department at UHD, introduced herself. She said that upon moving to the area in August, she’s been amazed to discover that people in the community don’t believe there are local OB services.

“OB is a hot topic in Fairmont right now and I think one of our goals is, if we reach one extra person who didn’t know we had OB, and we spread the word, then we have succeeded. We want you to know that Fairmont is still a viable community to come to and grow a family,” Crookston said.

She said that in addition to delivering babies at the Blue Earth location, UHD as a whole can help take care of children with pediatric care.

Dr. Jodi Schulz, OB/GYN, also introduced herself and shared that she actually grew up in Blue Earth and upon moving away for a number of years, she came back and worked at Mayo Clinic in Albert Lea before that location closed some services.

“I left Mayo in March and have been with UHD since March,” Schulz said.

She said she understands that local patients may be feeling undecided as to where to go for services– whether they go to Mankato or switch providers, but spoke more to some of the situations she can help with.

“I’m in Blue Earth but these guys are here in Fairmont and we’re here for any OB/GYN needs,” Schulz said.

She added that even if someone is not planning on delivering in Blue Earth, staff can help with regular weekly care so that patients aren’t driving so far for appointments.

Finally, Schulz stressed that everyone at UHD is a team and take careful approach that way to patient care.