When Allina Health announced the upcoming closure of its Chaska clinic, area patients faced the prospect of having to switch doctors and possibly drive longer distances for care.

But Ridgeview has since stepped up to expand its existing Chaska primary care clinic to serve the needs of Allina patients plus an ever-growing local population.

Allina’s operation in the Two Twelve Medical Center building, near the intersection of Highway 212 and Chestnut Street, is set to close Jan. 31. On Feb. 9, Ridgeview will reopen its expanded primary care clinic in Allina’s former office space — Suite 220 on the second floor.

The three current Ridgeview primary care providers — Stephen Ready, MD; Rida Shaikh, DO; Whitney Sarnstrom, MSN, CNP, FNP-C — will move up one floor, from their clinic space in Suite 115N, to continue seeing patients as usual.

They will be joined in their new surroundings by four additional providers — Kerrie Allen, MD; Tiffany Habben, DO; Jennifer Lewis, MD; and Samantha Bendzick, PA-C — who are transferring over from the Allina clinic to Ridgeview. Several support staff members from the Allina clinic will also be added to the expanded Ridgeview team.

“We look forward to welcoming the Allina Chaska providers and their patients to the growing Ridgeview family,” Ridgeview President and CEO Mike Phelps said.

According to Chief Operating Officer Ben Nielsen, Ridgeview’s strategic plan was always to continue to expand its Chaska primary care operation as needed. But Allina clinic’s sudden closing sped up the process.

“It fits perfectly within what we’re aiming to do over the next two years,” he said. “We have had primary care at Ridgeview Chaska for over 10 years, and we’ve grown that gradually. But Ridgeview’s been a bit opportunistic if other clinics are closing, because we want to help fill that gap. Primary care is pretty important to Ridgeview as a strategy, and it’s important for overall health within our communities.”

Ridgeview and Allina have developed a strong partnership over the past decade, Nielsen said, cooperating in cardiology, mental health and other services. So, when Allina decided to close its Chaska site, their leadership gave Ridgeview leaders a heads up. 

It led to a positive conversation with Allina providers about joining the Ridgeview team.

“It made sense for Ridgeview to do what we could to keep those patients, providers and staff in the community … if they wanted,” Nielsen said.

What’s Changing

According to Nielsen, existing Ridgeview patients will see little impact due to the looming expansion. The big difference will be seeing their health care provider on the second floor instead of the first.

“Same provider, same clinical support staff, same phone number to call,” Nielsen explains. Plus, the online patient portal won’t change.

Allina patients who choose to shift their care to Ridgeview will need to call a different phone number and shift their online portal to Ridgeview’s platform. Allina patient records can easily be transferred, Nielsen noted.

“We’re doing everything we can to have that transition be as seamless as possible,” he said. “With any changes there are going to be some bumps, but I think the team is doing a really good job.”

Key Details

Allina closed four clinics on Nov. 1, 2025 — Inver Grove Heights, Maplewood, Oakdale and Nicollet Mall. The Chaska closing was the latest.

“This decision was both difficult and necessary as we work to balance maintaining access to care with utilizing our real estate footprint more efficiently,” Allina’s website states.

Ridgeview is a nonprofit, regional health care system serving the southwest metro with four hospital campuses in Chaska, Arlington, Le Sueur and Waconia and primary and specialty care clinics, ambulance and emergency services, home health and home medical equipment services, and more throughout the region.

Nielsen said that, while Ridgeview’s primary care clinic is moving to the second floor of the Two Twelve building, its specialty care practices and providers — Audiology, Bariatric & Weight Loss, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, Otolaryngology (ENT), Podiatry and Rheumatology — will remain on the first floor with extra open space for future expansion.