MLHS gets state and federal support

In its effort to make sure patients and residents are given the kind of local care and service the facility has a commitment to providing, Mille Lacs Health System is getting help from both the National Guard and teams from FEMA. On Dec. 6th, a team from Minnesota’s National Guard was deployed by Governor Walz to Mille Lacs Health System’s Long Term Care (nursing home.) These actions are the latest from the Walz-Flanagan Administration to support long term care facilities and hospitals facing bed shortages and staffing gaps during the current wave of COVID-19 infections. The team sent to MLHS will help with Certified Nursing Assistant duties.

MLHS Long Term Care Director of Nursing Cynthia Sutherland said, “Like all facilities, we are experiencing a significant shortage of staff, though the employees we have continue to go above and beyond to make sure our residents are cared for. But having the National Guard here is not only uplifting to our morale, it’s also very much appreciated for the actual trained workers we desperately need. It helps us to maintain the high quality standard of care and safety that our long term care residents and families expect from us.”

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent a clinician group to Mille Lacs Health System last week. Six nurses will be assisting with vaccinations and administration of monoclonal antibodies.

“The response from both FEMA and the National Guard regarding this urgent need for temporary staffing is so very much appreciated,” said MLHS’s CEO Bill Nelson. “Our employees have stayed committed to the care of our patients and residents and the challenge of the pandemic for nearly two years. But whether it’s COVID cases, the vaccine clinics, our monoclonal antibody team, or just more people needing a wide variety of care, our staff is tired and we know they need critical temporary relief and support. That’s why we are so grateful for the opportunity to welcome these individuals into our facility with open arms.”

If you are wondering how you can help support staff at your community hospital, the biggest assistance you can give is to get vaccinated. Current data shows that roughly 75% of hospital admissions in the upper Midwest are due to COVID. Of these, roughly 78% are unvaccinated people. Ninety-six percent of patients in intensive care units right now are unvaccinated.

“We never though this vaccine was perfect, although it is much more effective than the flu vaccine,” said Dr. Thomas Bracken, MLHS Infection Control Medical Director. “It is, however, remarkably effective in preventing severe disease and death. The current surge in COVID that is filling our hospitals is mostly caused by unvaccinated patients.”

Four of the ten National Guard members who were sent by Governor Walz to assist Mille Lacs Health System Long Term Care:

Vincent Atriano, St. Cloud, MN; Rylan Grose, St. Cloud, MN; Taylor Hart, Milaca, MN; and Jamison Skoog, Albertville, MN.