~ Commission to address concerns at Minneapolis Veterans Home; Recent investigations raise serious questions about quality of care at facility ~

In response to ongoing patient care issues at the Minneapolis Veterans Home, Governor Tim Pawlenty today signed an executive order (07-02) establishing a Veterans Long Term Care Commission. The Commission will be charged with identifying “the best approach for the future operation, management, administration and governance of the Veterans Home.”

Yesterday, Governor Pawlenty directed the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to send staff into the facility to monitor operations, and intervene in patient care activities as necessary. In addition, the Governor and Health Commissioner Dianne Mandernach are directing the Veterans Home to hire an outside long term care consultant within two weeks. The consultant will be able to assume responsibility for day-to-day operation of the facility.

“The chronic problems at the Minneapolis Veterans Home are unacceptable to me and to all Minnesotans,” Governor Pawlenty said. “We are taking immediate action to improve the situation and long term action to fix the way the system works. Our veterans deserve excellent care and we won’t stop until we’ve achieved that goal.”

Governor Pawlenty and Commissioner Mandernach announced the measures in response to a number of recent events pointing to significant problems at the facility. Two recent MDH complaint investigations involving the facility found evidence of “neglect” in monitoring a patient with diabetes for hypoglycemia, and “significant errors” in administering drugs to two patients with medication allergies.

All three of the patients involved in the two complaint investigations subsequently died. However, MDH investigators focused on errors in the treatment of the patients, and did not attempt to draw any conclusions about whether the errors caused the patients’ deaths.

Commissioner Mandernach also cited recent routine inspections – or “surveys” – that found multiple rule violations at the Veterans Home. The most recent survey was conducted last November, and a follow-up survey is currently in progress.