Twin Cities Emergency Room Closes During Nurse Strike

PLYMOUTH, MN — Abbott Northwestern WestHealth's emergency room and urgent care services remain closed due to a nursing strike that started Sunday. WestHealth, located in Plymouth, is a part of the Allina Health system.

The strike is over a new contract. The Minnesota Nurses Association said that "understaffing by Allina and other hospital systems has required nurses to work more days and longer hours" during the pandemic.

"WestHealth nursing staff stayed the course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in its wake, Allina is refusing to make the necessary movement toward a fair contract," Sonya Worner, a Registered Nurse at WestHealth, said in a news release.

"Allina admitted that it is not because they don’t have the money to fund the minor benefit increases we are asking for, but stated that our contract is 'good enough.'"

Nurses have been negotiating a new contract "for months," MNA says.

Meanwhile, Allina Health told FOX 9 they are "disappointed the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA)’s approximately 50 nurses who work in Abbott Northwestern WestHealth’s Emergency Department and Urgent Care facilities have chosen to strike."

"Allina Health and Abbott Northwestern WestHealth have negotiated 7 times with MNA. A contract settlement was previously reached and unanimously recommended by the union’s bargaining team. Unfortunately, the MNA could not finalize that agreement. Throughout negotiations, we have consistently offered proposals that demonstrate our commitment to our employees, including an immediate wage increase to align wages with other metro hospitals and agreeing to some of the union’s other priority issues."

During the closure, the city of Plymouth recommends going to the following clinics for health care:

Urgent Care Facilities

• Park Nicollet Urgent Care – 4155 County Road 101 N., Plymouth
• North Memorial Health Urgent Care – 9855 Hospital Drive, Maple Grove
• North Memorial Health Urgency Center – 15450 Highway 7, Minnetonka

Emergency Rooms

• Maple Grove Hospital Emergency Room – 9875 Hospital Drive, Maple Grove
• Methodist Hospital Emergency Center – 6500 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park
• North Memorial Health Hospital – 3300 Oakdale Ave. N., Robbinsdale