Jill Schramm/MDN Ward County Extension Agent Ellen Bjelland holds a container of hand sanitizer in speaking about protective measures against COVID-19 at a news briefing in Minot City Hall Tuesday.

Recent health-care employee furloughs and executive pay cuts have been necessary to maintain Trinity Health’s long-term financial viability, according to hospital officials.

“We are making the moves that we need to make to retain stability,” said Randy Schwan, a Trinity vice president, at a weekly city news briefing Tuesday. He said the furloughs that affected 12% of Trinity’s staff this week have been a consequence of the COVID-19 response.

“We’ve been asked to reduce our surgeries. We’ve been asked to reduce our clinic visits. We’ve been advised by federal and state officials that that’s helping to stop the spread, and we’ve complied with that. In doing so, we’ve also lost about 50% of revenue,” he said. “We’ve tried to delay it as long as possible, but there came a day when it became necessary to adjust our staffing with our current priority, which is COVID-19 response.”

Previously, Trinity’s financial strength was very strong, he added. Before that financial stability was threatened, Trinity began making moves such as reallocating staff from areas of lower volume to other tasks. For instance, some employees shifted to assisting in delivering individual food trays at the nursing home, where residents no longer can gather for congregate meals.

“We’re going to go and make the necessary moves that we need to make, day by day, week by week, to deal with the current reality of lower volumes and increasing expenses,” Schwan said. “We furloughed the staff that we’ve needed to furlough, that were not needed for the task at hand today. That doesn’t mean they are non-essential. Every member of our team is essential.”

About 350 employees across all departments, both in Minot facilities and Trinity’s satellite clinics in other communities, were affected. They are able to keep their health insurance benefits and may have opportunities for temporary work assignments.

Schwan said the bottom line for Trinity is to “remain financially viable in the long term. That’s our obligation – to serve our community, to serve our region, and meet the expectations and needs of the region long term. This is temporary. We know that, and we know that there is light at the end of this tunnel, and together we’re stronger. Together we’ll get through it, and together we will call back every member of that team to go back to work when our volumes return, and we expect that to happen.”

Schwan said the cost reductions are not affecting construction on the new hospital complex in southwest Minot. He said Trinity has paused smaller construction or remodeling projects around its facilities and delayed some capital equipment purchases.

“The mission-critical projects – we see that new construction, replacement hospital/medical park as a critical project – will continue on appropriate timelines,” he said. “There is activity going on there now, and there will continue to be activity going on.”

Trinity Health is reporting one person currently hospitalized and recovering from COVID-19. There have been eight people in total hospitalized at Trinity, with two deaths from the virus or complications. The City of Minot reported the police officer with COVID-19 and the officer’s family are continuing to recover at home.

Schwan said people shouldn’t avoid seeking necessary care for health conditions because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have continued to roll out video visits – telehealth clinic visits – across many of our other clinics, both in Minot and out in the region. We have dozens of providers who are offering that now,” Schwan said. “You might be contacted to conduct your appointment via telehealth if you’re appropriate and eligible for that. If you’re still seeking an appointment with your provider, call their office. Chances are they will be able to help you either in person or on a video visit.”

He also said people with medical appointments should wear their masks.

Trinity has adequate test kits available for those who qualify for COVID-19 testing.

“Early on we were limited,” Schwan said. “We have several hundred on hand now. It seems that we’re able to keep the supply going week after week so I invite you, if you have symptoms and you fear you might have contracted the coronavirus, call 857-5000. They’ll walk you through the current guidelines and a survey to see if you’re eligible for that test.”

Tammy Ness, clinical director at North Central Human Service Center, Minot, said the center continues to provide crisis services at 857-8500.

“We are moving to a phase two of rolling out the emergency services expansion, and that will occur on Thursday, where we will be gathering a group of law enforcement, hospitals, clinics and public health nurses who are in Region II, and we will have discussion about how to coordinate and collaborate services for crisis intervention,” she said.

Ness spoke about ways people can address their isolation or anxiety concerns, while Ellen Bjelland, agent with the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Ward County, spoke about proper ways to disinfect surfaces and clean produce. People can learn more at www.ag.ndsu/extension or like the NDSU Extension Ward County Facebook page or call 857-6450.

Area residents are doing a good job of implementing protections to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it’s not time to ease up, said Lisa Clute, executive director at First District Health Unit.

First District has had 25 people test positive for COVID-19 in its seven counties. Twenty were in Ward County. Burke and McLean County each have had two cases and McHenry County one. Bottineau, Renville and Sheridan counties have no cases.

Clute attributed the low counts to social distancing, hand washing, mask wearing and other protective measures.

“I just want to thank each and every one of you that are following these recommendations. You truly can applaud yourself that you are holding these numbers down. We certainly are not out of the woods. COVID is in our community, and we need to continue practicing these good preventative measures,” Clute said. Especially as warm weather approaches and people want to be outdoors, she noted, “Now is when we’re really asking you to work harder and work hard at maintaining those social distancing guidelines.”

Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma also urged people to take precautions but also to support local businesses.

“If we don’t, we are going to lose businesses,” he said. “The governor has done a very good job of stressing the very difficult economic situation that we are in as a state, as a country and I think globally, but it really does boil down to our small homegrown businesses, so please reach out.”

Sipma also said the city continues to monitor revenues but has no plans to furlough employees or curtail street projects or flood protection construction.