[image_credit]MinnPost photo by Greta Kaul[/image_credit][image_caption]In a letter, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said the data demonstrate “the significant improvements that have been made in identifying and containing the spread of COVID-19 in various congregate care settings.”.[/image_caption]
The agency had previously not disclosed such case information, citing legal guidance that it could violate patient privacy rules. But MDH reversed course Friday after Republican Sen. Karin Housley, who chairs the Minnesota Senate’s Family Care and Aging Committee, threatened to subpoena the agency for the data and responses to more than a dozen other questions. The top Democrat on Housley’s committee also said he supported a subpoena if MDH did not respond.
According to the information released by MDH, the facility with most deaths from COVID-19 this year is St. Therese of New Hope, where at least 67 residents have died of the disease. The facility with the second most deaths is North Ridge Health and Rehab, where at least 57 residents have died. At least 38 people have died at Southview Acres Healthcare Center and 29 have died at Augustana Chapel View Care Center.
So far, 863 long-term care facilities have or have had at least one known case of COVID-19, according to the information released by MDH Friday, and 936 of the 1,170 people who have died of the disease in Minnesota were residents of long-term care.
MDH held back information on facilities with 10 or fewer residents because it says doing so could identify individual patients. The agency has kept a running list online identifying which long-term care facilities have or have had at least one COVID-19 case. But they also withheld the names of facilities with 10 or fewer residents, and would not say how many people had been infected by COVID-19 and died at each facility.
In a statement Friday, Housley said she appreciated MDH commissioner Jan Malcolm’s response, but also said the department “should consider a more transparent approach when it comes to public disclosure.”
“Perhaps never more than in a public health crisis, Minnesotans have a right to know what is happening,” Housley continued.
In a letter responding to Housley’s request, Malcolm wrote that preventing death in long-term care facilities has been a top priority and said that before the subpoena threat, the agency had already prepared and released data for the committee. Malcolm said the data demonstrate “the significant improvements that have been made in identifying and containing the spread of COVID-19 in various congregate care settings.”
The information released to Housley on Friday includes a breakdown of deaths by each type of long-term care facility. The data shows at least 608 people living in nursing homes have died of COVID-19, 259 died in assisted living facilities, 29 and died in memory care facilities.
The state’s practice of discharging COVID-positive patients from hospitals so that they can return to long-term care settings has been criticized by Housley and other lawmakers. MDH said 319 of 863 facilities with outbreaks have had a COVID-positive patient transferred from another facility or discharged back to the facility from a hospital. There are no facilities whose outbreaks were started by a COVID-positive patient returning from a hospital, MDH said.
The agency also released data on inspections of long-term care facilities. Currently, 29 percent of facilities surveyed were not in compliance with federal guidance on infection prevention and control practices.
More information can be found here:
- MDH’s letter in response to Housley’s request. Many GOP questions were answered directly in this document.
- Known cases and deaths at long-term care facilities with more than 10 residents.
- The number of active COVID-19 cases present in each Minnesota county.
- Known cases and deaths aggregated by type of long-term care facility.
- Names of long-term care facilities that have had a COVID-19 patient discharge home from the hospital.
- Data on efforts to do widespread COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities.
- Data on personal protective equipment shipped to long-term care facilities.
Everybody knew the LTC facilities had the information at their fingertips and all it would take was push send. The fact it took bi partisan demands to get public information from a public company, like MDH, shows the problems with “public” Govt run agencies. I can’t imagine what was going on at a LTC facility, where “at least”, 57 people died. Didn’t they sound the alarm that our most vulnerable citizens were dying at an astonishing rate? Did no one take notice? I’m sure getting those answers will be as “easy” as getting the original information from MDH.
Joe, this information was NOT just lying around waiting to send. The reason you can’t “imagine” the MDH response to containment is that you have no idea what that response could possibly be. MDH is not a private company… the LTF’s… ARE the private companies… so how does the government suddenly become responsible for what the private sector is doing?
Of course the information was there ready to send, proof, they sent it. Minnesota Department of Health is responsible for collecting data the House asks for, the House has legal oversight at that Department. Again, really not that hard to comprehend, MDH sends out a memo explaining they need all Covid 19 information from LTC facilities. The LTC facilities have that information at the ready, the send button is pushed and amazingly, MDH has the info. This scenario only happened after bipartisan threat of legal action.
And, of course, your outrage over our government not being forthcoming in sharing data and basic cooperation between branches of government extends to the federal executive branch too?
As a data analyst for a different department of the State of Minnesota, I assure you that data is not just laying around ready to be sent either in exactly the content and format requested. Sometimes what is captured in data initially in a situation is not what later is learned to be needed, so there are gaps in what was initially requested by the state and either assumptions or recreating has to occur. And, as was pointed out, any reporting is highly dependant on the quality of what is provided from the source. I dont know the barriers in this particular case.
Don’t confuse the request from House with some other data. The House said to MDH, get us the deaths and cases from LTC facilities. The facilities have that information at their fingertips, press send, controversy over! That would be like the House asking DMV for the amount of registered car in the state of Minnesota and DMV saying I don’t know, we don’t own the cars…. LTC facilities report to MDH, who in turn reports to the House… End of story!