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North Shore Health Care CEO/Director Kimber Wraalstad reports that as of November 10, there have been 1,523 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county since the start of the pandemic. In addition, on October 28, the county was listed in the High Category on the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker for the first time.
Masks are still required at North Shore Health, but the screening table has been removed, and social distancing is still required. If you want to test for covid at home, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic has OTC Antigen Tests in their atrium and North Shore Health has the Tests at the registration desk for individuals to use.
At the end of October, 51 percent of workers had gotten flu shots, with the goal to have over 90 percent of the staff vaccinated against influenza. Troy Bachelor has been running the flu shot program, said Wraalstad. Troy had announced he was leaving North Shore Health to return to Colorado, but he has since rescinded his resignation and decided to stay at the hospital as Director of Nursing.
So how bad is the flu this year?
Wraalstad reported that from October 1 to October 22, across the nation, there were at least 880,000 people that had been sick with the flu, 420,000 have visited a healthcare provider for the virus with 6,900 hospitalized and 360 killed by the flu or flu-related complications.
The Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course is nearly ready to begin operations, with students tentatively starting at the end of November. Wraalstad said Jon Moe, Education Coordinator, “has worked diligently to finalize the Emergency Medical Service education program.”
The Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course is still being built, but it is scheduled to start sometime in January 2023. The course is free for those who will work at North Shore health or are sponsored by another Cook County/Grand Portage agency.
Effective December 2, 2022, Chief Financial Officer Paul Goettl will leave his position at North Shore Health. However, Wraalstad said Goettl has agreed to “work with the hospital on a casual basis to provide support and assistance.” Wraalstad added, “During his four years at North Shore Health, Paul brought financial knowledge to our organization, and during our COVID- 19 response, he became the point person for all State and Federal grant submissions and reporting. He (Paul) has decided he would like to return to work in the hospitality industry and has the opportunity to join a growing resort business. We will miss Paul’s daily presence but wish him the very best with all of his future endeavors.”
North Shore Health submitted a request to participate in the Equitable Cost-Sharing for Publicly Owned Nursing facilities program for 2023. The program was established, Wraalstad stated, “to allow a publicly owned nursing facility to contribute funds and receive a federal match for those contributions.”
“Essentially, publicly owned nursing homes would give the state $1, and they will give us $3 in return. In addition, this program increased room rates for all residents, including private pay. The rate adjustment in 2022 was $23.09 per day, and the 2023 rate adjustment is $43.91.”
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