Dear Dakota Child and Family Clinic Patients and Community,
We have announced a number of high-profile staff departures in recent days. We know that this has caused significant anxiety, concern and sadness for many of you. I wanted to share with you some context around how we have arrived at this point.
In August 2023, Dakota Child and Family Clinic (DCFC), faced an uncertain future with significant financial challenges. Thanks to an infusion of cash from generous individual donors and a reduction in hours of operation, the clinic was able to keep its doors open while the Board of Directors and leadership pursued a merger opportunity to avoid closing the clinic doors permanently. In October 2024, the merger with Open Door Health Center (ODHC) was completed.
Since October, DCFC has been an Open Door Health Center. We have kept the name DCFC on the door and it remains the name of the Burnsville clinic location, but legally we are all Open Door Health Center.
Both organizations share a long history of providing integrated, patient-centered care for their communities as well as commitment to providing care for everyone regardless of their ability to pay. What has resulted from the ODHC and DCFC merger is particularly exciting due to the potential for us to develop the best Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the region.
Mergers are complex. Melding two groups together requires a good deal of give and take and always involves strategic compromise. Part of this work includes ensuring that we have all the necessary legal, ethical, financial and overall good governance policies and procedures in place to ensure the long-term success of the organization. The Board of Directors and leadership are working toward a future where the best elements of both entities are integrated into a single cohesive organization to best serve the needs of our communities.
While we are working hard to preserve the most successful elements of both organizations, a merger does require everyone to embrace some degree of change. Unfortunately, some employees have decided that they are no longer interested in moving forward with the merged organization. The fact remains that at the end of 2023, the options for DCFC were either to merge with another larger organization or close its doors permanently.
There are many former DCFC employees who continue to work hard every day to meet the needs of patients and ensure that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare regardless of their ability to pay as part of the merged organization. All DCFC leaders were given a seat at the leadership table. I have served as the Executive Director of DCFC since October 2022, as part of this merger, I have stepped into the role of Interim CEO for the entire organization. The DCFC Finance Director and Operations Director remain members of the leadership team within the merged organization. As part of the merger, the ODHC Board of Directors also expanded to include two members of the previous DCFC Board – the board chair and one of our patient board members.
Every organization is greater than any one individual and I hope that you will give ODHC employees a chance to demonstrate our continued commitment to the values upon which DCFC was founded.
Kelly Kenley
Interim CEO, Open Door Health Center
