Gov. Walz Provides Progress Report on COVID-19 5-Point Plan for Long-Term Care

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Jodi Boyne

Governor Walz on Tuesday said Minnesota continues to make progress on its work to limit and stop the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities. (Read the Release; Watch the Briefing). 

“The vast majority of nursing homes and assisted living facilities have no current identified COVID cases. Half of Minnesota’s nursing homes and 77 percent of assisted living facilities have never had a single reported case. These facilities are safer, and the proactive measures we implemented in partnership with care providers have made outbreaks the exception rather than the norm,” said Governor Walz. 

The Governor was joined at the media briefing by two long-term care providers: Annette Greely, President & CEO, Jones-Harrison in Minneapolis and Michelle King-Solwold, Administrator, Good Samaritan Bethany in Brainerd. 

Other key data points shared during the media briefing:

• 24% of Minnesota’s 368 nursing homes currently have an outbreak, which is defined by MDH as having one case.
• 8% of Minnesota’s 1,692 assisted living settings currently have an outbreak, which is defined by MDH as having one case.
• A significant drop in growth of settings with a new outbreak, from an average of 23 new settings per day in early May to an average of 6 new settings per day in mid-July.
• Sharp declines in positive cases deaths from recent peak weeks. For example, there were 137 deaths from May 17-23 as compared to 13 deaths between July 12-17.

When asked by the press about the high incidents of positive cases and deaths when COVID-19 first struck Minnesota, the Governor said: “The idea that these facilities did something wrong in the beginning is just wrong and not the case." 

Annette Greely, President and CEO of Jones-Harrison Residence in Minneapolis spoke to how state mobile testing approach helped her organization take immediate measures to identify the spread of COVID-19 and implement actions to mitigate it. 

“Testing our residents and staff in partnership with the National Guard was a game changer in our ability to contain the spread of COVID-19 and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety, health, and wellness of our residents and staff. We appreciate the collaborative partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health and know through this plan we are better prepared in our ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19,” said Annette Greely, President and CEO of Jones-Harrison Residence in Minneapolis.  

Our Response: Significant Progress Made, Challenges Remain

We released a statement indicating that while significant progress has been made in the state’s 5-Point Plan, challenges remain and called upon further collaboration with the State of Minnesota to address the ongoing needs for testing, PPE and staffing in nursing homes and assisted living. The statement also strikes a note of caution in re-opening visitation in nursing homes and assisted living while providers lack solutions to those core issues and when Minnesota is starting to experience a rapid increase in positive cases.