Month: October 2020

The Crookston Care and Share recently received a significant grant from the Otto Bremer Trust for $43,760. Executive Director Brian Halos said the grant includes replacing the carpeting in common areas throughout the building. “Well, $30,000 of that grant is for our general operating cost,” said Halos. “It’s figured right into our budget. The other $13,760 was for carpet replacement throughout the building. That’s going to be all of the hallways, stairways, landings. Basically, everything except for individual rooms, all of the common areas throughout the building. Our operating costs are everything we have to do to keep the place open. That’s utilities, physical costs of maintaining the building, wages to employees, direct services to employees.”

The Care and Share has been fortunate enough to receive multiple grants in the past from Otto Bremer, most recently last fall explained Halos. “I just came on board in January, so I haven’t been involved with them in the past, but I know we’ve received support from them,” said Halos. “Last fall, right before I came on here, we did get a grant for around $20,000 from them for boiler repair. Our boiler had to be rebuilt last fall, and Otto Bremer paid the majority of that cost.”

Halos said the Care and Share and its Board of Directors are grateful for the continued generosity of the Otto Bremer Trust. “We hope we can continue to receive support from Otto Bremer,” said Halos. “They’ve been pretty good to us in the past. And I’ll tell you what, getting this carpet replaced is going to be a big improvement. The carpets were so dirty, they smelled dirty, it’s been a long time. It’s looking and smelling better. As we speak, the installers are here removing and putting in the new carpet, so it’s looking good.”

In its ongoing efforts to assure patient and staff safety, RiverView Health recently increased its stringent disinfection efforts by adding ultraviolet light (UVC) disinfection technology to its already-extensive hygiene program.

The Skytron 2280 Syndicate UVC robot is an advanced, paired system designed to emit germicidal energy to provide fast, effective disinfection treatments. UVC radiation renders harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses ineffective by destroying the genetic information in the DNA. The microorganisms lose their reproductive capability and are destroyed. The germicidal nature of UVC is well suited to treat parasites that are ex­tremely resistant to chemical disinfectants.

The UVC robots are a key part of the battle against healthcare-associated infections and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

RiverView received a COVID-19 Health Care Response Grant for $150,000 from the Minnesota Department of Health to purchase two sets of the infection control robots.

“We were very fortunate to receive the grant to allows us to purchase the Skytron Syndicate,’’ shared Jennifer Tate, RiverView’s Environmental Services (EVS) manager. “Patient safety is one of RiverView’s top priorities. I know the EVS staff does an exceptional job keeping our environment disinfected and safe. Now the UVC Syndicate gives us that extra safeguard to disinfect the environment for our patients and residents.’’

Extensive research was done by a team made up of employees from a variety of departments to determine the best method of disinfection. Tate credits Mario Gomez, Supply Chain director with working to secure two sets of the robots with the grant dollars.

One set will be used in the Operating Room and the other set will be housed in the Inpatient Unit and also used in the Emergency Department, Care Center, and clinics.

“With the Syndicate, we are able to cover more area in less time and they have a longer life span than the other robots available,’’ Tate continued. “I felt it had better safety features and the biggest selling point is the robot will automatically calculate the run time based on the size of the room. This is a huge benefit and takes away the chance of user error.’’

The robots treat to a “disinfection standard” rather than a “time standard.” This means that the goal is to kill 99.999% of pathogens on all surfaces in the room. The robot automatically calculates the treatment time based on the size of the room and other characteristics like humidity, temperature, and reflective surfaces. After detecting these characteristics, the robot calculates the amount of time it needs to be running to cause the 99.999% kill rate in all pathogens on each surface in the room. Run times usually vary between 8 to 30 minutes.

Covid-19 has changed the way we safely interact with others.  Because of this, United Way has had to think outside of the box.  So, this year instead of meeting individuals, organizations and businesses face to face, we put together a virtual presentation for people.  Our theme this year is “Change Doesn’t Happen Alone”, United Together.  As the Executive Director, the face to face interaction has been my favorite part of my job, but hopefully, down the road, we can get back to that part of building relationships. 

Thank you all for supporting your local United Way of Crookston.

Thank you,

Lori Wagner

Nurses at Altru are being honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s mission to recognize the extraordinary, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.

There are seven recipients of their first DAISY award:

• Leslie Rodriguez is a 4th Floor Family Care Unit Nurse who helped a family who was having the worst week of their lives.
• Tricia Buckalew is a Labor and Delivery Nurse who helped a mother struggling with twins in NICU and post-partum.
• Brandon Looney is a Travel Nurse that was working on the Progressive Care Unit who is being recognized for giving great care three different times. His patients say he is one of the most compassionate nurses on the floor.
• Briana Miller is a Nurse in the Family Care Unit who her patients say epitomizes what any nurse should strive for.
• Tracy Leedahl is a 5th Floor Nurse who provides patients with outstanding service.
• Sara Tupa is a 3rd Floor Progressive Care Unit Nurse who comforts patients and makes them laugh, even when they’re at their worst.
• Nathan Vasquez, an Intensive Care Unit Nurse, makes his patients feel very important and cared for.

“We are proud to be among the healthcare organizations participating in The DAISY Award program,” said Chief Nursing Officer Janice Hamscher. “Nurses are heroes every day. It’s important that our nurses know their work is highly valued, and The DAISY Foundation provides a way for us to do that.”

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, CA, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated by patients, families, and colleagues. The award recipient is chosen by a committee at Altru to receive The DAISY Award. Awards are presented throughout the year at celebrations attended by the Honoree’s colleagues, patients, and visitors. Each Honoree receives a certificate commending her or him as an “Extraordinary Nurse.” The certificate reads: “In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people.” Honorees also receive a DAISY Award pin and a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe.

“When Patrick was critically ill, our family experienced first-hand the remarkable skill and care nurses provide patients every day and night,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, President and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation. “Yet these unsung heroes are seldom recognized for the super-human, extraordinary, compassionate work they do. The kind of work the nurses at Altru are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of The DAISY Award.”

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at DAISYfoundation.org.

Motorists traveling on Minnesota highways this fall need to be aware of large, slow-moving farm equipment transporting crops to markets, grain elevators, and processing plants.

Farm equipment is large and heavy, making it hard for operators to accelerate, slow down, and stop. The machines also make wide turns and sometimes cross over the centerline. They also can create large blind spots, making it difficult for operators to see approaching vehicles. All of these factors require all drivers to exercise extra caution during harvest season.

“Harvest season is in full swing and farmers in every corner of the state are out using the highways,” said Brian Sorenson, state traffic engineer. “Motorists need to be prepared to encounter slow-moving farm vehicles, especially on rural, two-lane roads now through November. Also, remain patient, as most farmers will try to allow vehicles to pass them in an area where it is safe to do so.”

Approaching farm equipment with caution can help prevent crashes.

• In the last five years (2015-2019), 14 people died on Minnesota roads as a result of a crash involving farm equipment.
• In the last five years (2015-2019), 29 people suffered life-changing injuries as a result of a crash involving farm equipment.

“Many factors play a role in farm equipment crashes, but distractions and lack of patience are two of the biggest factors,” said Lt. Gordon Shank, Minnesota State Patrol. “Drive smart by practicing patience when behind farm equipment, parking the phone, and putting all distractions away.”

Motorists

• Watch for falling debris or debris in the road.
• Don’t veer for debris, it could result in a head-on collision or a driver going into a ditch.
• Wait for a safe opportunity to pass. Farm equipment operators often make wide left turns, which can indicate to a motorist that the operator is moving right and it is safe to pass.
• Wear seat belts.
• Drive with headlights on at all times.
• Park the phone and put the distractions away.

Farm Equipment Operators

• Use lights and flashers to make equipment more visible.
• Use slow-moving vehicle emblems on equipment traveling less than 30 mph.
• Consider using a follow vehicle when moving equipment, especially at night.
• Wear seat belts.
• Park the phone and put the distractions away.

MnDOT and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety are anchoring partners of the state’s Toward Zero Deaths traffic safety program. A primary vision of the TZD program is to create a safe driving culture in Minnesota in which motorists support a goal of zero road fatalities by practicing and promoting safe driving behavior. TZD focuses on the application of four strategic areas to reduce crashes – education, enforcement, engineering, and emergency medical and trauma services.

The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 1,184 new cases of COVID-19, including six cases in Polk County, and 10 additional deaths. The positive tests were found in 32,077 completed tests for a positive rate of 3.7 percent.

Updated October 2, 2020
Updated daily at 11 a.m., with data current as of 4 p.m. the previous day.

Data is for cases that were tested and returned positive. All data is preliminary and may change as cases are investigated. Many data points are collected during case interviews. Data presented below is for all cases, regardless of interview status. Data for cases pending interview may be listed as “unknown/missing.”

Not all suspected cases of COVID-19 are tested, so this data is not representative of the total number of people in Minnesota who have or had COVID-19. Cumulative numbers are since Jan. 20, 2020.

Other Statistics

• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MIS-C) Statistics
• Minnesota COVID-19 Public Dashboard
• Minnesota’s COVID-19 Response and Preparation Capacity
• Dial Back Dashboard
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases in the U.S.
• Minnesota COVID-19 Modeling

Data in the data tables is correct as of 11 a.m. daily. Dynamic images and maps will update shortly after 11 a.m. daily and will not work if your browser is in compatibility mode.