2020 was not the year NUMC had planned

New Ulm Medical Center adapted in a hurry to COVID-19

In a year dominated by a viral pandemic, New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) had no choice but adapt to rapid change in a short amount of time.

A year ago, NUMC was celebrating the addition of the Springfield and Lamberton clinics to the Allina system along with NUMC. Mayo Clinic operated the clinic through 2019 but announced they were pulling out. It was suggested Allina Health take over these facilities.

NUMC Director Toby Freier said it was a quick turnaround. Allina had around 90 days to prepare.

March 2020, Allina officially reopened the Springfield and Lamberton Clinics. The entire staff from both facilities stayed on with Allina.

Freier said the only change in care most patients would notice was a different type of name on employee badges. NUMC was able to integrate the care and services into the Springfield and Lamberton clinics. The result was 11,000 annual patient visits were kept in these communities.

In a normal year, the addition of these two clinics would have been the greatest change, but at the same time, the Springfield and Lamberton clinics were reopening under Allina a viral pandemic was spreading across the globe.

By mid-march NUMC placed an emergency restriction on who could enter the building. The staff immediately began planning and organizing in the event of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

In the months following the emergency declaration, NUMC changed its healthcare approach to serving the community in the face of the COVID-19 threat.

In the early days, changes in hospital guidelines were nearly constant as new information about the virus became available.

There was a vital need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and a screening process for those possibly infected with COVID. Overnight, NUMC had to find a way to get the masks, gowns, eye protection. New equipment such as BiPAP respiratory machines were needed.

The building needed to be re-organized for screening with separate entrances and separate waiting rooms. The HVAC needed to be redone to send air outside the building rather than recirculating into other rooms and prevent spreading the virus. All of these actions needed to happen in a few days.

By April, NUMC developed curb-side testing for lab work unrelated to COVID to minimize the number of people entering the medical center doors. Visitors to patients were limited and electronic visits became the new normal.

Staff was required to work extra shifts. As the pandemic progressed, some staff would need to fill-in for peers who contracted the virus or were quarantined.

Freier said 2,000 positive COVID cases have been treated in the clinic and hospital. This is on top of the regular medical treatments occurring at NUMC. Around 20,000 patients came to NUMC just for testing.

"[It was] a significant investment of time and resources to get that set up with no one -- across the country -- had that on their 2020 plan," Freier said.

Virtual healthcare was expanded during the pandemic. This allowed individuals to conduct clinic appointments with physicians without entering the medical center. NUMC providers completed 8,000 video visits in the last 12 months.

Video visits were already part of NUMC before the pandemic, but the service was ramped up because of the pandemic. Freier believed it would remain an integral service even after the pandemic. He said it helps people get over the barrier of geography. Outside of a pandemic, there are multiple reasons people do not want to travel to a hospital appointment. In Minnesota, bad weather is often a barrier. Freier said virtual visits will be promoted beyond the pandemic, to overcome geographical barriers.

NUMC implemented other tele-health measures. Recently Minnesota Children's Hospital has partnered with the medical center on neonatal treatment. Children's Hospital physicians can consult with neonatal physicians in New Ulm through telecommunication technology. This helps bring extra medical support from the Twin Cities to New Ulm.

Outside the pandemic, NUMC has made other changes. Eight new physicians and providers were added to the team, some part-time others full-time. Freier said each of these physicians and providers represents a new type of service to NUMC.

As NUMC reaches the first anniversary since the pandemic began, the staff sees a light at the end of the tunnel.

"There have been many phases since the pandemic started and we are glad to be at this one," Freier said. The COVID numbers have trended down over the last three months and the vaccination of patients has begun.

"We are thankful Allina has prioritized New Ulm as the main vaccine site," he said. The medical center is serving as a regional hub for the vaccine because it has the necessary freezer storage necessary to store the Pfizer vaccine.

NUMC staff was among the first vaccinated and the vaccine is now rolling out to senior communities.

Asked if he sees an end to the pandemic soon, Freier said he sees the progress NUMC has made.

"Today it is a much safer environment in how we designed it, even in the middle of a pandemic," he said. "Our testing volumes are a fraction of what they were three or four months ago. The positive cases for patients sick enough to be hospitalized is a fraction of what it was 90 days ago."

Freier said combined with the vaccine, these were all signs of progress. He is hopeful this is the backend of the pandemic.