Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater cited over medical waste

State environmental regulators have fined Stillwater’s Lakeview Memorial Hospital for improperly disposing of infectious waste at a waste management facility in 2025. On Dec. 11, 2025, hospital workers put blood-contaminated waste in the standard municipal waste system, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The waste management facility where the waste was taken rejected the load from the hospital because it appeared to contain infectious waste and notified the MPCA, MPCA officials said Wednesday. Investigators determined that the load contained “infectious waste including liquid blood and other items contaminated with blood,” according to the MPCA. “The facility brought in a contractor to separate out the infectious waste and send it to a facility that specializes in disposal of infectious waste,” MPCA officials said. “An MPCA investigation showed that the hospital failed to separate, label, and properly store its untreated infectious waste before sending it to the waste management facility.” Under Minnesota law, all untreated infectious waste must be separated, properly labeled, and transported in a way that prevents release or harm to human health. The state fined Lakeview $15,862 for improperly disposing of the medical waste, which MPCA officials said has been paid. Hospital officials also agreed “to properly dispose of untreated infectious waste and have submitted a detailed plan outlining procedural changes to prevent similar incidents in the future,” MPCA officials said. A spokesman for HealthPartners said Wednesday that hospital officials are committed to ensuring all medical waste is disposed of properly. Related Articles Congo’s Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 1,000 people People have been fermenting food for millennia. Here’s why more people are focused on gut health now Venezuela confirms 3 people have died of hantavirus infections, with 2 more deaths suspected How much caffeine a day is safe for your heart? Trump administration says it’s deferring $1B in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota “We responded promptly to the issue last year and continue to strengthen our processes to maintain high standards,” he said. Lakeview Hospital, located at Greeley and Churchill streets, will soon be moving to a new $400 million campus at the northeast corner of Minnesota Highway 36 and Manning Avenue. Plans for the new hospital call for a six-story building totaling approximately 400,000 square feet — almost twice the size of the present hospital. The new 64-acre hospital campus, which will open in 2028, will include emergency medicine, advanced critical care and specialized centers for heart, cancer and orthopedic care.