Senator Housley urges MDH to take action on COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care

In Minnesota, more than 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths have been among residents of long-term care facilities. On Wednesday, Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Marys Point), chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee, sent a letter to Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm asking for more information about the department’s response and offering proposals aimed at mitigating outbreaks in long-term care settings.

“We know the most severe COVID-19 cases are concentrated in long-term care facilities. Right now, there are some long-term care facilities that are treating more COVID-19 patients than hospitals,” Senator Housley wrote in the letter. “Caregivers continue to do a great job under the stressful, chaotic circumstances, but they are scared for their safety and for the residents they love – and they desperately need our support. If we do not take significant, immediate action to pivot our state’s strategy to a greater emphasis on long-term care settings, it is my belief that we will be confronted with a massive crisis in Minnesota.”

The full letter can be found here.

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