In response to changes in the economy, technology and culture, the American Red Cross in Mower County will likely reduce its hours.

Staff in the Freeborn and Mower County Chapters will partner to provide Red Cross services in both counties. Red Cross offices in Albert Lea, Austin, Faribault, Owatonna, Rochester, and Winona will continue to operate with paid and volunteer staff, according to a press release, although office hours at each location will likely change as each office works to support a new regional service delivery system.

“Each of these chapters has been providing services in our communities in much the same way since 1917 but going forward, we believe the combination of chapters will strengthen our community presence and represents the best way to deliver Red Cross humanitarian programs and services,” said Melanie Tschida, Director of the Southeast Minnesota Region.

Additionally, in the coming weeks, the Goodhue County and Winona County Chapters will consolidate into one chapter, as will the Waseca County and Rice-LeSueur Counties Chapters. The Red Cross office in Waseca will close on or before Dec. 31. Ongoing use of the Red Wing facility will be determined by a transition team of volunteers and staff from Goodhue and Winona counties by March 31, 2012, according to the release.

“We’re striving to better meet the needs of the communities we’ve always served,” Tschida said. “By functioning as one regional team instead of as eight distinct locations, we feel we can put the community’s money back into the community and really reduce our overhead. As always, we are still going to be relying on local volunteers to deliver Red Cross services; we’re just going to coordinate our efforts differently.”

These changes are part of a nationwide effort to streamline operations and reduce costs, according to the release. Similar changes across the state have resulted in the elimination of 26 regular positions, three temporary positions, and six vacancies in Minnesota. Across the country, approximately 10 percent of the Red Cross workforce has been affected.

“It’s always tough to lose great employees who have served the organization with passion,” Tschida said. “But these staff changes should not affect our level of service in our communities. People can still depend on the Red Cross for disaster response, health and safety courses, emergency communications for members of our military and blood drives. We are simply consolidating resources so we can be more efficient in our service delivery.”

For more information, contact Melanie Tschida, Regional Executive Director at 507-287-2254 or Elaine Hansen, Mower County Chapter Executive Director at 507-437-4589.