By Jeff Hansel The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Mayo Clinic Health System in 2012 celebrates two decades of providing health care to communities throughout the region.

Twenty years ago, Mayo Clinic in Rochester was the sole spot to get "the Mayo model of care."

But things have changed,

Today, most southeast Minnesotans have direct access to Mayo-level care within a short walk or drive, often right in their own communities andMayo Clinic Health System has become a prime point of entry into the Mayo Clinic system as a whole for patients regionwide.

"Boy I'm thankful for those leaders, that they had that foresight," said Adam Rees, chief administrative officer of Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin.

Mayo Clinic Health System has also become a powerhouse-within-a-powerhouse for Mayo Clinic as it contributes about half of the $8.4 billion non-profit organization's patients yearly.

In 2011, more than 500,000 of Mayo's total 1.1 million patients nationally got their care at Health System clinics and hospitals.

Greater public awareness became a goal as clinic leaders decided each facility should publicly display the name "Mayo Clinic Health System" on walls and signs.

The seemingly small change from the previous "Mayo Health System" name, backed by a marketing campaign, has indeed raised awareness, helping locals to drop the "Austin Medical Center" mindset, for example, in favor of "Mayo Clinic Health System (in Austin)."

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Mayo Clinic Health System celebrating two decades of care