Karlstad Saves its Clinic

When failing HVAC units threatened extreme financial burden for Karlstad's Kittson Memorial Clinic, the rural northern-Minnesota city feared it might have to close its doors.

“To lose the clinic...would be devastating, because that kind of signals the death of your town,” said Mitch Borneman, mayor of Karlstad. “The goal was to fix the building, to make it usable and make it usable for a very long period of time. Keep in mind, we have a responsibility to the citizens of the community to spend the money as wisely as we can.”

After connecting with Johnson Controls to find out what it'd take to make the repairs, Karlstad's leaders learned about Sourcewell's nationwide cooperative purchasing program.

Because Johnson Controls is a Sourcewell awarded vendor, Karlstad could use its Sourcewell membership to immediately pursue the necessary repairs, saving time and money.

The city also worked with Sourcewell awarded vendor National Cooperative Leasing to get a 15-year lease (instead of the typical 5-7 year lease) making it even more manageable for Karlstad to replace the faulty equipment and keep the clinic's doors open, ensuring citizens continued to have access to health care in their home community.

“It was a no-brainer,” Borneman said. “We accessed the best service for the citizens of the community.”