Nurses at North Memorial Hospital spoke out Monday against planned cuts that they say will negatively impact patients.

Back in March, hospital leaders announced plans to close the neonatal intensive care unit, close all outpatient mental health services and eliminate some inpatient mental health beds in Robbinsdale. That would also result in layoffs, union officials say.

The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) members from North Memorial expressed their opposition to those cuts and publicly denounced them on Monday afternoon.

“This added obstacle of having to find a new clinic might be just enough of a hurdle for them to stop receiving care,” Leah Limrick, a nurse at the hospital, said.

North Memorial has cited financial challenges, particularly at that Robbinsdale location, and says the hospital needs help from state lawmakers and Hennepin County leaders to stay afloat.

“Given the fact that health care costs are going up so quickly and government payment does not respond as quickly, it really truly is a breaking point for us,” North Memorial CEO Trevor Sawallish said during a Maple Grove City Council meeting in March.

The cuts are expected to take effect at the end of August.

North Memorial released the following statement:

Our recent workforce and service reductions are difficult for everyone—most importantly, for team members and the patients we serve. Unfortunately, these decisions, while challenging, were made out of financial necessity to ensure North Memorial Health can continue to deliver on our mission today and into the future. We’ve been clear about the $100M+ negative impact of government programs to the operations of Robbinsdale Hospital and our need for public funding support. Despite overwhelming community advocacy, state resources are not forthcoming, and our Hennepin County Commissioners stand in opposition to helping us. We are running out of time during this legislative session.