Above: Dulcimer Medical Center, located at 1950 Center Creek Drive in Fairmont, has been purchased by United Hospital District. UHD acquired the property from Center Creek Holdings, LLC, a partnership of Dr. Steven Parnell and Dr. Jon Erickson.

FAIRMONT– On Tuesday it was announced that United Hospital District and Clinics had entered into a purchase agreement with Dulcimer Medical Center in Fairmont. The purchase transferred ownership of Dulcimer’s land and buildings to UHD in late December.

Dulcimer Medical Center has been located at 1950 Center Creek Drive in Fairmont since 2009. It includes Dr. Steven Parnell’s practice as well as Dr. Jon Erickson’s practice, Fairmont Family Dentistry.

While the change is news to a lot of people, as it officially went into effect Dec. 30, it won’t actually change much, at least not right away.

Those involved in the purchase agreement, a partnership between Parnell, Erickson and UHD’s CEO, Rick Ash, stressed that the deal is a ‘win-win’ for all, which is something Parnell said he was looking for from the get-go.

“I know I can’t practice forever and I have about 36 employees that I really care about. We have some of the best employees in the business and I needed to make sure we had some kind of transition plan,” Parnell explained.

He said what drew them to UHD was its commitment to providing care locally. In addition to Fairmont, UHD also has sites in Blue Earth, Winnebago and Wells.

Parnell said people don’t need to worry about finding something different as he’ll likely be working several more years; and when the time comes for him to retire, Parnell said UHD will be in a good position to take over.

Ash said there was concerns that when Parnell’s retirement came, if no one were to step up, it’s undetermined what would happen to not only the facility but the practice.

“Getting other physicians to take over a rural, independent practice is becoming few and far between. A lot of those small, rural practices are closing shop all across the country because it’s hard to stay afloat,” Ash explained.

Erickson said that while he’s also not planning on retiring anytime soon, he’s excited about the possibilities the transition will bring.

“The name won’t change, the personnel won’t change, nothing will change except internally,” Erickson said.

He said the change will help with continuity and that UHD will be able to help them with recruiting. Erickson said that they will actually have a new dentist coming in the summer.

“Fairmont Family Dentistry isn’t going anywhere. We look forward to continuing to serve the community,” he said.

Ash admitted that there are quite a few decisions that haven’t been made yet, such as what will become of UHD’s current location in Fairmont at 221 E. 1st St.

When UHD purchased the site in 2016, Ash said it seemed like a good size for what they thought the need was, but the number of patients coming to it has continued to grow.

“We’re basically at capacity,” Ash said.

He called the purchase a win-win because it will allow for a bigger space for UHD and it will provide opportunities for Parnell’s patients come his eventual retirement.

He said they’ve considered keeping specialty care at that site and offering primary care and other services at the Dulcimer site.

“There’s a lot of things in motion and we’re not in a big rush to make decisions because nothing’s going to happen right away,” Ash said.

Another thing that’s undecided is what the name of the facility will be called. Ash said it could be several years before anything changes.

“Overnight it won’t become UHD. Right now we own the land and the building but Dr. Parnell is still going to practice like he always has.”

Ash said UHD is excited to work with Parnell and Erickson and looks forward to keeping healthcare local, which is something they all want.

“The only constant thing is change. Change would come at some point, but change can be good and I think this is a positive thing in the long run. It preserves the ability to have good, quality care locally,” Parnell said.