Unity nurses testify against chemical dependency unit closure

Submitted by ADonahue on
Panel being held inside theater room with nurses in front rows

By Lauren Bloomquist

National Nurse magazine - Oct | Nov | Dec 2025 Issue

On Sept. 25, Minnesota Nurses Association nurses from Allina’s Unity Hospital in Fridley, Minn. testified at a hearing about their employer’s planned closure of their Chemical Dependency Unit. “Closing this unit and scattering patients elsewhere in the hospital will be disastrous,” said Laurie Brodersen, RN. “This is a locked unit with experienced nurses who know how to care for this vulnerable population and prevent relapse. Placing these patients in the hospital’s general population strips away the safety and structure they need, making real recovery far less likely. Allina isn’t just shutting down a unit — it’s dismantling expertise and trust built over years of care.” 

This latest cut continued a troubling pattern of closing or reducing services by Allina Health:

  • Abbott Northwestern’s infusion department shut down in 2023
  • United Hospital’s pain center closed
  • United Hospital’s infusion department shut down in September 2025
  • Another announcement planning to close Abbott Northwestern’s inpatient kidney transplant program

At the same time, Allina reported $230 million in profit from its Quest Diagnostics venture, partnered with UnitedHealth Group to expand lucrative ambulatory surgery centers, and continues investing in executive compensation.

“This is the behavior of a Wall Street corporation, not a not-for-profit health care system,” said Gail Olson, RN. “Allina is taking public dollars while turning its back on vulnerable patients, the community, and the nurses who’ve given decades to this work. That’s not care. That’s corporate greed.”