Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Most of us take healthcare for granted. Like the water we drink or the electricity we use, we can’t imagine it not being there when we need it most.

Next year, Trinity Health celebrates 100 years of Making More Possible for the communities we serve. It’s been a privilege to be a reliable partner, caring for you and your family whenever you’ve needed us, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or political philosophy.

For the last 21 months, Trinity Health has fought courageously against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Like many other healthcare institutions across the country, we find ourselves in the middle of a blinding blizzard. Earlier this week, the State of North Dakota reached the unfortunate benchmark of more than 160,000 COVID-19 positive cases and nearly 1,900 deaths.

We are gaining patients … and losing patience at the same time. Acute care (hospital care) is a hands-on responsibility. It can’t be delivered virtually but must be performed up-close and personally by highly-qualified, compassionate healthcare professionals. Our medical teams have heroically fought this battle since March 2020. Their physical, emotional and mental bandwidth has been stretched to the brink.

Unfortunately, unvaccinated COVID patients continue to flood hospitals and emergency rooms across the state. Although the care they receive at Trinity Health is second to none, there is concern that with a limited supply of beds and resources statewide, the resources required to care for a father’s heart attack, an elderly mother’s fall, or a young adult from an auto accident could be impacted.

During this public health crisis, healthcare workers have been referred to as heroes for their dedication and commitment to their patients and their calling. It is a title justly deserved, yet very much understated. Our nurses have tenderly held the hands of COVID-19 patients as they take their last breath. They have witnessed numerous unvaccinated patients beg for the vaccine after they have become infected and experienced the horror this disease can bring. They have touched and been touched by these lives. They have hoped, prayed and cried with many patients and their families. These nurses are heroes, and now is the time for you to be a hero.

There is a solution that can make a difference: vaccination.

Science has clearly proven that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective at mitigating the effects of the disease. Each one of us can effectively change the direction of this virus before other variants develop and mutate into something even more debilitating. Imagine for a moment where we would be had there not been a vaccine for smallpox, polio, measles, rubella and other crippling diseases. It was a scientific breakthrough to discover those remedies that changed the world.

We live in a beautiful corner of the state and are blessed to be in Minot and surrounding communities. We are equipped with top notch, sophisticated medical professionals unlike other communities our size. Let’s take advantage of the latest breakthrough to protect our most priceless asset – our health – before it’s too late.

Please schedule a vaccine appointment with your nearest healthcare provider. There are no barriers to getting vaccinated.

I encourage everyone to protect your family, friends, neighbors and the hundreds of healthcare professionals who have been there for us. Please consider vaccination.

 

Sincerely,

John M. Kutch
President & CEO

Effective Monday, February 1, 2021, Trinity Health’s Business Office reopens its doors to in-person visits.

The Business Office will resume walk-in service in accordance with safety protocols that Trinity Health has implemented for all its facilities and services. The office had previously suspended walk-in service due to COVID-19.

Customers who wish to pay a bill may do so in-person, providing they observe Trinity Health’s safety policies. These require everyone visiting a facility to bring and wear a mask or other face covering, and to maintain social distancing.

The Business Office is located at Trinity Health Town & Country, 1015 S Broadway, Minot, and is open to visitors from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

On a busy Saturday, January 23, in Minot, Trinity Health administered COVID-19 vaccines to 924 patients in its single largest clinic to date.

Since receiving the first vaccine shipment in December, Trinity Health has administered shots to more than 1,400 healthcare workers during Phase 1A and more than 1,500 eligible patients during Phase 1B, based on the North Dakota Department of Health’s Priority Groups.

Trinity Health leadership anticipates moving through the Priority Group list quickly to vaccinate all who wish to benefit from protection against the virus. “We look forward to every shipment we receive, and we’ll take as much vaccine as we can get for our region. Our goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible, as soon as possible. When we get vaccine doses, we act swiftly and deliberately to give them to people,” said Randy Schwan, Vice President at Trinity Health. “It is a little frustrating for our team and patients: The only thing slowing down vaccinations locally is the allocation we get from federal and state planners.”

Many patients who attended the clinic on Saturday expressed a common reaction to receiving the vaccine: relief. Getting their first dose was a welcome, long-awaited signal toward better days ahead.

I’ve been waiting patiently,” said John Ross, who received his first dose that morning. Melvin Boger was also “glad to get it done” and added that the shot didn’t hurt a bit.

Pauline Magnusson was “very excited” to receive her invitation for the vaccine and equally relieved to have the first dose under her belt. She also noted how many other patients were getting their shots that day. “I was surprised at how many people are here,” she said.

Some patients who received their shots reflected on how the vaccine gives them hope for getting together with family again. Alice Gilpatrick, whose son accompanied her to her vaccine appointment, noted how she will feel “more comfortable with the grandkids and the great grandbabies.” Husband and wife Vernon and Deanna Chrest both received their vaccines this weekend. “We were really relieved,” Mrs. Chrest said, “and hope to get back to normal.” Mr. Chrest added, “Maybe now we can go to the grandkids’ ball games; we had been watching them [livestream] on TV. It’s just not the same.”

Trinity Health’s clinics are designed to get patients vaccinated quickly and ensure they are safe and feeling well before they head home, all while maintaining social distancing and other safety guidelines. Early vaccine recipients noted that the process, like the shot, was fairly quick and painless. Mr. Ross described it as a “well-oiled machine.” Walter Piehl, who received his first dose on Saturday as well, said, “It went very well. In three weeks I’ll feel even better. Thank you to Trinity for being so efficient and getting this done in such a wonderful, organized fashion.”

Trinity Health receives vaccine shipments directly from the North Dakota Department of Health and follows federal and state guidelines to prioritize who gets the doses. Vaccine has been in limited supply so far, making it hard to predict how much will arrive or when.

At this point, vaccination for Phase 1B is by appointment only. When vaccine supply becomes available, Trinity Health will contact patients directly if they are identified as eligible.

Schwan explained, “Because we follow the State’s distribution plan based on Priority Groups, Trinity Health is not maintaining a waiting list at this time. Please do not call your Trinity Health provider to request the vaccine; we look forward to contacting you if you are identified within a Priority Group. And one more reminder to all of us: Please continue to follow the guidelines of wearing a mask, washing hands, and social distancing for everyone’s health and safety.”

Patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19 have a new treatment option in Minot that may help them avoid a stay in the hospital.

Trinity Health has opened an outpatient infusion clinic for administering Bamlanivimab, or BAM, a monoclonal antibody therapeutic. In November the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of BAM for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adult and pediatric patients.

The infusion clinic is located at Trinity Health East Ridge, 1250 21st Ave SE, Minot, and accepts referrals from providers across the region both within and outside of Trinity Health. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 should talk to their primary care provider about eligibility and referrals.

Monoclonal antibodies are man-made proteins that mimic the antibodies in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. BAM specifically targets SARS-CoV-2 to block the virus from attaching to and entering human cells.

“We established this clinic so we can provide outpatient treatment to high-risk COVID-19 patients, with the goal of preventing hospitalization,” explained Casmiar Nwaigwe, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist at Trinity Health and Medical Director of the infusion clinic. “Not only can monoclonal antibody infusion help reduce severity of illness for the patient; it can also ease the numbers of COVID-19 admissions to hospitals, which have been strained across the nation in recent months.”

Dr. Nwaigwe noted that treatment is likely to be more beneficial when given early in the course of COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19-positive patients who qualify for BAM include anyone age 12 years and older and weighing at least 88 pounds. For adults, treatment with BAM may be an option for patients who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Are 65 years of age or older
• Have obesity as measured by a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher
• Have diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or conditions that weaken the immune system
• Take medications that can weaken the immune system
• Are 55 years of age or older and have heart disease or chronic lung disease

Anyone of any age, sick with COVID-19 and with other underlying health conditions, may benefit from BAM infusion depending on their risk factors. Pediatric patients age 12-17 are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

BAM is administered as a one-time infusion over one hour. Patients are asked to remain at the infusion clinic for roughly one hour after the infusion to monitor for any side effects. BAM is not authorized for patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19, who require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19, or who require an increase in baseline oxygen flow rate due to COVID-19 in patients who are on chronic oxygen therapy due to underlying non-COVID-19 related conditions.

For more information about monoclonal antibody therapy available at Trinity Health, visit: www.trinityhealth.org/BAMtherapy.