Under Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Minnesota faced a devastating COVID-19 impact, especially in long-term care facilities. A shocking 80% of COVID-related deaths in the state occurred among residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers.
Critics have pointed fingers at a controversial policy. This policy, like in other states, allowed COVID patients to return to nursing homes after being discharged from hospitals.
The policy has since been removed from the Minnesota government website. It had to be retrieved through the Wayback Machine.
"Patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 who still require transmission-based precautions can be transferred to congregate living facilities," the policy stated.
"It is recommended that patients can be discharged when clinically indicated, without needing two negative COVID-19 tests before leaving the hospital," it added.
By May 2020, over 80% of the state's COVID-19 deaths were in long-term care facilities. Despite this, Walz defended the policy.
"This was what everyone was doing. It wasn't a mistake. There was complexity in dealing with this," Walz said in May 2020, as the crisis continued.
Nursing homes felt they were deprioritized for personal protective equipment (PPE). A report from the Star Tribune revealed that the state’s emergency stockpile of N95 masks was reserved for hospitals, leaving nursing homes scrambling for supplies.
"As an alternative, the state encouraged nursing homes to consider nonmedical cloth masks and seek local donations," the report stated.
The issue wasn’t just in Minnesota. It was a widespread problem during the early stages of the pandemic.
"Nursing home residents aren’t getting half of our resources or attention, yet they account for roughly half the deaths," said David Grabowski, a health care policy professor at Harvard Medical School, in April 2020.
Many families were left in the dark, not informed about COVID-positive cases in nursing homes. They also missed the chance to say goodbye to loved ones. Walz's administration advised against families taking residents out of nursing homes for visits.
"MDH strongly recommends against families bringing residents of long-term care facilities to their homes during this time," stated an executive order from Minnesota's Department of Health.