COVID-19 aid buoyed Minnesota hospitals, but staffing crisis looms

Minnesota hospitals received $879 million in public funds in 2020, but face post-pandemic problems without that increased emergency support

Mar 16, 20220

Alex Kormann, Star Tribune count

Morgan Smith, a phlebotomist, drew blood while Corrin O'Gara, a respiratory therapist, administered nebulizer therapy to Janet Monno on Tuesday at M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital in Woodbury.

Government aid kept Minnesota hospitals afloat in 2020, but a new state report raises concerns about their ability to bounce back in 2022 because of pandemic-related staffing shortages.

Minnesota hospitals would have operated at a loss without a 500% increase in public support because of the pandemic in 2020, according to a report released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Health. Now they face problems exacerbated by COVID-19 without that emergency funding.

"The pandemic has laid bare some challenges in the health care system," said Stefan Gildemeister, state health economist.

https://www.startribune.com/covid-19-aid-buoyed-minnesota-hospitals-but-staffing-crisis-looms/600156329/