Brainerd senior living facility to serve as alternate care site amid surge in COVID patients

The state has announced a second skilled-nursing facility to act as an alternate care site and help relieve hospital capacity amid a surge in COVID-19 patients.

Good Samaritan Society – Bethany, in Brainerd, will have a team of 14 Minnesota National Guard members and nine federal nurses to treat patients, starting Wednesday.

Gov. Tim Walz’s office said the site will help hospitals in central and northern Minnesota by accepting up to 34 patients. Only patients who don’t need acute emergency care — such as those recovering from surgery — will be eligible to go to the alternate site.

It comes a week after the governor announced a similar facility at Benedictine St. Gertrude’s in Shakopee.

Hospitals in the metro told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they are "extremely full" and extra COVID-19 admissions are pushing them to "almost peak capacity."

"The demand for hospital beds right now is as high as I’ve ever seen. This is probably as challenging as we have seen through this entire epidemic," said Dr. Ryan Else, Allina Health’s vice president and clinical officer. "We oftentimes pair a patient that is being discharged from the hospital to then giving that bed immediately to a patient that needs acute care in our hospitals."

Minnesota’s COVID-19 Response Capacity Dashboard shows only 42 ICU beds are available across the state.

Less than 2% of ICU beds are currently open in the metro.

Else said it’s due to an ongoing surge of COVID-19, patients with other medical needs and a shortage in staff.

"With all of the increased capacity, patients should expect prolonged waits when they go to emergency rooms seeking care across all of the communities in Minnesota," Else said.

"As Minnesota doctors and nurses care for more COVID-19 patients, we’re calling in reinforcements," Walz said. "Our new alternative care sites will treat Minnesotans on the road to recovery so our hospitals can focus on providing care for our most critical patients, including those sick with COVID-19. We’re forging a coalition to assist our hospitals. By working with our partners at long-term care facilities, the federal government, and the National Guard, we’re helping make sure we have the capacity to care for those who need it."

Also on Wednesday, Dr. Rahul Koranne, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association, issued the following statement:

"More than 19 months into the pandemic, our statewide health system is undergoing an extreme stress test. Most of our hospitals are seeing a sharp rise in patients requiring hospital-level care – mostly due to general increased demand, however, the steady increase in hospitalized COVID-19 cases combined with our worsening workforce crisis is resulting in a perfect storm that is extremely concerning.

"Hospitals and health systems across the state are working together hourly to meet this challenge and coordinate resources, essentially now functioning as one giant system of care to support our joint mission of serving all Minnesotans. It is humbling to experience the level of partnership between care teams and leaders from all the hospitals and health systems across the state.

"Our health care workers are true heroes – a compassionate group of professionals who find themselves at the epicenter of health care history – which is both fulfilling and exhausting. When you come for care, please remember the incredible stress our health care staff are under – and treat them as who they are – your friends and neighbors.

"We need Minnesotans to partner with us to stop the spread of this virus. The mitigation measures are familiar, but still as important today as they were 19 months ago – be vaccinated, get your booster when eligible, wear a mask, social distance, and stay home when you are sick. Every COVID-19 vaccine that is given today helps to ease future demand on our ICU hospital beds."