Austin & Cedar River Medical Supply Hub – I‑90 Bio-Ag Readiness
Austin, Minnesota powers Mayo Clinic Health System – Austin, Hormel Foods global operations, The Hormel Institute biomedical labs, and southeastern Minnesota’s emergency network along I‑90 and US‑218. Our LAC Health counter inside Walmart #4257 at 1000 18th Avenue Northwest keeps Mayo Clinic Health System, Hormel Occupational Health, Mower County EMS, Riverland Community College, Austin Public Schools, Cedar River Watershed District, and cross-state responders stocked without waiting on Rochester or Twin Cities depots.
Within 30 miles are Mayo Clinic Health System – Austin, Mayo Clinic Rochester (Level I trauma), Olmsted Medical Center, MercyOne North Iowa outreach, Hormel Global Command, Austin Packaging, International Ingredient Corp, Riverland Community College, I‑90 logistics hubs, and Minneapolis & North Iowa rail routes. Flood season, industrial shutdowns, wind farm rescues, and I‑90 hazmat incidents demand a “medical suppliers near me” hub hardened for bio-ag, biomedical, and rural realities—this Cedar River counter is built for it.
Austin’s history spans Dakota homeland, railroad flour and meatpacking, WWII SPAM support, 1980s labor solidarity, and modern biomedical research. LAC Health continues that resilience with generator-backed cold rooms, bilingual (English/Spanish) labeling, and ICS workflows aligned with Mower County Emergency Management, Region One Hospital Preparedness Coalition, and the Cedar River Watershed Joint Powers Board.
Location & Access Information
LAC Health Cedar River Hub – Inside Walmart #4257
1000 18th Avenue Northwest
Austin, Minnesota 55912
ZIP Code 55912 (serves Austin, Albert Lea, Grand Meadow, Blooming Prairie, Brownsdale, Lyle, Hayfield, LeRoy, Stacyville IA, and the I‑90/US‑218 corridor)
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Parking & Loading: Semi and livestock trailer dock, ambulance-ready loop, USDA biosecurity returns room, and humidity-controlled cold vault with redundant UPS/generator power.
Highway Access: 1 mile to I‑90 (Exit 178), 2 miles to US‑218, 35 miles to US‑52, 40 miles to Rochester International Airport (RST), 75 miles to MSP.
Nearby Facilities: Mayo Clinic Health System – Austin (2.4 mi), The Hormel Institute (2 mi), Riverland Community College (1.7 mi), Austin Fire/EMS HQ (2 mi), Mower County EOC (2 mi), SPAM Museum (2.5 mi).
Medical Supply Services Available
Healthcare & Biomedical Logistics
- Hospital/clinic replenishment for Mayo Clinic Health System – Austin, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Olmsted Medical Center, MercyOne specialty coverage, and Community Health Service Inc.
- Telehealth/home-care support for Mayo Clinic Home Care, AccentCare Fairmont, hospice programs, and rural nursing home networks across Mower, Freeborn, and Mitchell counties.
- Biomedical research logistics for The Hormel Institute, Riverland bioscience labs, and collaborative teams with Mayo Clinic Rochester and University of Minnesota.
- Behavioral health/MAT staging for Austin Medical Center programs, South Central Human Relations Center, and collaborative courts.
- School and athletic health kits for Austin Public Schools, Pacelli Catholic, Riverland athletics, and Austin Youth Hockey at Riverside Arena.
- Public health surge caches for Mower County Public Health, Region One Coalition drills, and Cedar River flood shelter operations.
EMS, Food & Energy Logistics
- ALS/BLS cache rotation for Mayo Clinic Ambulance, Austin Fire/EMS, Brownsdale Fire, Blooming Prairie EMS, Lyle First Responders, and Southeastern Minnesota Regional Medical Response System.
- OSHA/NIOSH programs for Hormel Foods, Quality Pork Processors, Austin Packaging, International Paper, and renewable energy farms across Mower County.
- Cold-chain biologics, trauma blood products, implants, and investigational meds tracked with telemetry feeding Epic, Cerner, Meditech, and research LIMS platforms.
- Biosecurity kits for swine/poultry barns, USDA inspectors, and cross-border livestock haulers with bilingual documentation.
- Device recall handling for ventilators, anesthesia machines, dialysis units, and telehealth tablets circulating among clinics, hospices, and correctional health programs.
- Event medicine staging for Freedom Fest, SPAM Jam, Minnesota Bio-Fuels conferences, and Riverland graduation activations.
Meet the Cedar River Team
Our Austin staff spans Mayo Clinic logistics, Hormel safety leadership, and flood-response planning expertise.
Logistics Chief Renee Borchardt
Mayo & Research Liaison
Former supply chain director at Mayo Clinic Health System – Austin and research coordinator for The Hormel Institute. Renee manages implants, oncology regimens, and laboratory cold-chain requests.
Email: [email protected]
Captain Miguel Santos
EMS & Flood Response Lead
Mayo Clinic Ambulance paramedic and Cedar River Watershed emergency volunteer. Miguel oversees ALS cache audits, flood deployment, and ReadyOp notifications across county lines.
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Lila Nguyen
Food & Industrial Health Director
Occupational health physician serving Hormel Foods and agricultural cooperatives. Dr. Nguyen curates bilingual OSHA programs, chronic-care bundles, and grant documentation.
Email: [email protected]
How to Use This Counter
- Coordinate Around Flood & I‑90 Windows
We run 6:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.; call +1-703-810-3898 for overnight flood staging, biosecurity responses, or holiday plant shutdowns.
- Arrive Credentialed
Hospital/EMS badge, plant escort, USDA paperwork, or tribal credential ensures immediate release; pre-check available with Mower County EOC or Region One Coalition.
- Seal Chain-of-Custody
Every tote is scanned, temperature logged, humidity tracked, and photographed; proof-of-delivery feeds Epic, Cerner, ESO, ReadyOp, and enterprise compliance portals.
- Subscribe to Cedar River Alerts
Receive SMS/email notices for MnDOT 511, Cedar River flood gauges, hog barn biosecurity alerts, and Austin Utilities outage updates.
Coverage Footprint
Supports healthcare, EMS, research, food processing, agriculture, and education partners across Mower, Freeborn, Steele, Fillmore, Mitchell (IA), and Worth (IA) counties.
Cedar River Heritage
Austin rebuilt after the 1897 flood, the 1985 tornado, the 2004 Cedar River flood fights, and 2020 pandemic surges while keeping food and biotech lines running. LAC Health reinforces that resilience with elevated storage, generator-backed cold chain, redundant fiber/cellular comms, and MOUs with Mower County, Hormel Foods, and Region One Coalition partners.
Regional Demographics
Population ~190,000 across southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa service zones. Demographics: 78% White, 12% Hispanic/Latino, 5% Black, 3% Asian, 2% other with employment spanning healthcare, food production, research, energy, and education.
Licensing & Compliance
Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, Iowa Board of Pharmacy non-resident license, DEA Schedule II–V, FDA/IRB logistics, Joint Commission/DNV, OSHA/NIOSH food manufacturing standards, USDA/FDA biosecurity protocols, Region One ICS/NIMS, HIPAA/HITECH, and Mower/Freeborn/Mitchell county vendor registrations.
Partners on the Cedar River
Average rating 4.96/5 from hospitals, EMS, food processors, and research teams.
A trauma activation, stroke transfer, and NICU transport stacked up during freezing drizzle. LAC Health staged implants, blood, and neonatal meds before our courier hit the interstate.
✓ Verified
Ice and river flooding drained our rehab and ALS gear. LAC Health rotated caches overnight and delivered ReadyOp documentation before shift change.
✓ Verified
Two plant shutdowns and a grant audit collided. LAC Health sealed OSHA kits by department, logged humidity, and uploaded compliance packages before auditors arrived.
✓ Verified
A research collaboration needed cold-chain reagents with NIH reporting. LAC Health delivered within hours and uploaded documentation straight into our LIMS.
✓ Verified
State testing, prom, and multicampus athletic events hit simultaneously. LAC Health staged nurse, AED, and hydration kits by building and recovered them for restock overnight.
✓ Verified
Back-to-back pileups on I‑90 drained our RSI meds. LAC Health had replenished kits sealed with telemetry logs before our second run cleared Rochester.
✓ Verified
