In response to Governor Tim Walz’s press briefing on Wednesday, May 20, Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point), chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee, issued the following statement:

“Neither Governor Walz nor Commissioner Malcolm mentioned long-term care settings during their remarks today. In fact, it took almost 50 minutes for it to be brought up at all – and when it was mentioned, it was only in passing. When that’s where four out of five of COVID-19 fatalities are occurring, that’s unacceptable.

Minnesota built a ‘model’ around a New York-style catastrophe, but that did not happen. We don’t need a model to tell us what’s happening right now: a crisis at long-term care facilities. As I said in my letter to the governor earlier today, we need decisive action – more than surveys and a commitment to have the ‘conversations’. The residents and staff of long-term care facilities – and their families – are scared to death right now. They need our support.”

We built a “model” based entirely on a New York-style catastrophe. That didn’t happen, but 4 out of 5 deaths are in long-term care settings. @GovTimWalz did not acknowledge this once in his remarks.

— Karin Housley (@KarinHousley) May 20, 2020

Senator Karin Housley represents Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the surrounding St. Croix Valley in the Minnesota Senate. She serves as chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee and is an assistant majority leader.