November 24, 2021
Stretched Thin — CentraCare Welcomes DOD Medical Strike Team
After a recent call with Governor Tim Walz, CEO Ken Holmen reached out with an immediate request to Kathy Parsons, VP of Population Health: Could she drop everything and complete the application requesting assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services who was deploying military physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists to hospitals in need.
With Minnesota ranked among the fastest growing hot spots in the country for COVID-19 based on numbers of cases per 100,000 people, Minnesota health systems were invited to apply.
What I did was write the story of us.
Kathy Parsons, VP Population Health
Kathy Parsons described the application as rigorous, “They wanted to make sure everything that could be done to treat critically ill patients in the communities we serve had been done. What I did was write the story of us. The story of our nimbleness, our dedication, our people and everything we have tried and done to manage this pandemic for our community.”
Together with HCMC, CentraCare was one of two healthcare systems in Minnesota that will receive 22 medical professionals for at least the next 30 days to work side-by-side with all of us.
According to Dr. Jack Lyons, “The Medical Strike Team will allow us to decompress our regional sites and work through some of the backlog of ICU cases. They’ve already begun their preparation.”
The Medical Strike Team will allow us to decompress our regional sites and work through some of the backlog of ICU cases.
Dr. Jack Lyons
Indeed, the military team of doctors, nurses and respiratory technicians will begin working with staff and clinical partners next week. Teams from human resources, security, clinical partners and many others will be working over the holiday weekend to ensure the process runs smoothly for all involved.
“We all know that we’re stretched thin,” said Tom Schrup, MD and Chief Physician Officer, “We’re grateful for the support and relief for the staff. This will help us care for each other and our communities.”
Planning for where and when the teams will be deployed is still underway. Updates will be provided when more details become available. We know the following about the team joining us for orientation this weekend and who will begin working with us on Monday:
Medical Strike Team Roles
1 ED Physician
1 Intensivist/Pulmonary/Cardiologist
1 Internal Medicine Physician
1 Physician (TBD)
4 Critical Care Nurses — serving the ICU
4 ER Nurses — serving the ED
6 Med/Surg Nurses
2 Respiratory Technicians
3 Administrative Staff
Gratitude
Deep gratitude to those members of our CentraCare team who are spending their holiday weekend training and orienting the Medical Strike Team. Thank you!