Nurse practitioner withdraws from commitment to Buffalo Center clinic

The Center for Specialty Care in Buffalo Center will not open as planned on October 6, following another setback in the two-and-a-half-year effort to reopen the healthcare clinic. Dr. Cory Welchlin of the Center for Specialty Care says nurse practitioner Krista Sweers has retracted her commitment to take on the primary care position in Buffalo Center.

The announcement comes just one week after the clinic held an open house on September 13, where community members met Sweers and Center for Specialty Care staff in anticipation of the October opening. Dr. Welchlin was surprised by Sweers’ abrupt decision, and he notes that she first reached out to him about the position approximately six months ago.

“At that time, it appeared that she was just looking at various options. She contacted me again in late July or early August, showing more interest in the position,” said Welchlin. “As negotiations progressed, she seemed excited for a new and slightly different opportunity, and accepted the position with a generous compensation package. I introduced Krista to members of the Clinic Search Committee on August 25, 2025, at which time the committee asked if she was firmly committed to the position in Buffalo Center. Her response was quick and without hesitation, a resounding ‘yes.’ After that meeting, my staff began the process of introducing her to the community.”

Welchlin notes Sweers took part in an interview for an article in the Buffalo Center Tribune, she helped to write a press release for the City’s Facebook page and website, and he says she enthusiastically participated in the open house a week ago. “She also participated in the insurance credentialing process that has left the clinic with a significant monetary expense,” said Welchlin. “Krista even asked a member of my staff to help draft the resignation letter to her previous employer.”

Sweers says a there were a few concerns that led to her decision.

“I am really sorry about changing my mind last minute and had been looking forward to serving the community,” said Sweers. One of her concerns had to do with opening the clinic without a nurse in place. “I understand not hiring for every position right away. I feel like hiring a nurse would have been the best first decision.”

The clinic did line up a radiology technologist, Hannah Anderson, to start in October, but Sweers says she doesn’t order that many x-rays. “I tend to be a more conservative provider. [Anderson’s] role would have been limited in the assistance she could provide to me. I think I would have ended up working a lot outside of clinic hours to catch up,” said Sweers.

Another concern had to do with the clinic’s plan for vaccinations. Sweers says she was told they would not keep vaccines in stock at the clinic due to financial concerns.

“The final concern I had was when I was told by a credentialing company that they wanted me credentialed as a mental health provider, which is a completely different educational program followed by board certification and licensure,” said Sweers. “I can provide some limited mental health under my family practice credential, but I cannot be credentialed as a mental health provider.”

Sweers says she will instead stay in her position at MercyOne Cardiology in Mason City, and she will continue to provide hormone and functional medicine services at her private practice, Health+Hormones in Clear Lake.

The Buffalo Center clinic suffered a similar staffing setback in September of 2024, when Dr. Andrew Maiers, who was expected to begin seeing primary care patients in Buffalo Center last fall, announced he would be leaving the Center for Specialty Care to take another job.

Buffalo Center has been without a primary care provider since March of 2023, when MercyOne vacated the clinic. A group of community members quickly formed a clinic search committee with the goal of bringing a new provider to town. In March of 2024, the committee announced that Dr. Welchin, owner of the Center for Specialty Care in Fairmont, MN, was interested in reopening the clinic if money could be raised to offset startup costs. The committee began a fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $250,000, and that goal was exceeded by community members who contributed almost $300,000.

“As disappointing as the news may be to the community and to all who have worked so hard to bring a healthcare provider back to Buffalo Center, I believe that things in life happen for a reason. We may never understand those reasons, but perhaps this is a blessing in disguise,” said Dr. Welchlin. “We have two additional prospects for the position in Buffalo Center. One will take her Nurse Practitioner Boards in early October, and another who has been working for a number of years is scheduled for an interview this week. I remain committed to the process and will continue to follow any and all leads that may develop.”