We know these are trying times for everyone and accurate, timely information is important for you and your family. As part of our ongoing coverage of COVID-19, we have created this page that allows you to see all the stories that have been posted to date. Read more
Meta-analysis from researchers at the University of California San Francisco, as reported by the University’s website, indicates an association between smoking and progression of COVID-19 infection. This study was recently a topic of discussion at a Mille Lacs Area Partners for Prevention me…
Like most aspects of our COVID-19 virus epidemic, there has been a lot of confusion regarding COVID-19 tests. There are three main tests for the COVID-19 virus infection.
At Mille Lacs Health System, 84 COVID-19 tests have been done so far and as of Monday, May 18, 83 tests have been negative, and one test was positive. The infection preventionist for MLHS will be doing the internal contact tracing investigation and will be communicating with the Minnesota De…
“People have to look at the bigger picture,” said Dr. Tom Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for MLHS. “If you live in New York City, your life looks very different than if you’re in the middle of Nebraska. But anything could change for any of us, at any time. Stearns county is e…
Essentia Health has begun serology testing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday, April 24, 2020 serology testing is available at Essentia Health. These tests will be sent to Mayo Clinic Laboratories for processing. Work is being done to also have processing capacity within an Essentia He…
“When you hear people say this is just like a bad flu, that is not true,” said Dr. Tom Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System, about the current COVID-19 pandemic. “People are using number of deaths as a comparison, yet we already have exceeded the number…
Following Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order continuing distance learning through the end of the 2019-20 school year April 23, the Minnesota State High School League also announced the cancellation of all activities and athletics as well.
Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday ordered Minnesota schools to stay closed through the rest of the academic year due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Minnesotans who are struggling to feed themselves and their families or make ends meet should know that help is available and accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Mille Lacs County residents have recently expressed concern over local hospitals prioritizing healthy individuals over patients with other health conditions should they come to the hospital to be treated for COVID-19. Another concern expressed was when the hospitals would be opened up f…
This is an informational tool to help patients understand MLHS’s COVID-19 testing procedures and also what plans MLHS has for surge (an influx of patients), and patient care. Do understand, however, that any of this could be modified and adjusted as the situation changes.
Mille Lacs County had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 on April 15 which tragically ended in the death of former Mille Lacs County Judge Steven Arlen Anderson on April 17.
Mille Lacs County has its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The resident of Mille Lacs County who tested positive is in their 60s.
“So far, we have been relying on data, science, and experts to flatten the curve,” Dr. Tom Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System, said. “They continue to review what they have been doing, and they have adapted when they needed to change. That’s what we a…
“We have to be deliberate in all our actions,” Mille Lacs Health System Infection Prevention Medical Director Dr. Tom Bracken said at a recent Incident Command meeting at MLHS. “It means really putting thought into everything we all do. That includes keeping a safe 6-foot distance from one a…
Essentia Health today announced plans to reduce non-medical staffing levels as they prepare for the expected surge of COVID-19 patients in the communities they serve.
Mille Lacs Health System is continuing its preparation and training to deal with the COVID-19 situation in the Mille Lacs area. As of Monday, March 30, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mille Lacs County.
Following similar declarations by President Donald Trump and Governor Tim Walz within the last two weeks, the Isle City Council convened on Thursday, March 26, and Mayor Rodney Schultz issued a mayoral proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The counci…
Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, issued the following statement regarding Thursday’s passage of HF4531. The bill includes numerous special provisions designed to assist Minnesotan’s as we battle through the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation authorizes up to $330.6 million in special funding to pr…
As state and federal officials desperately work to “flatten the curve” and the impact of COVID-19 cases on our healthcare system, many local businesses have experienced the devastating results of an economy that has ground to a halt.
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin signed Executive Order 2020-05 yesterday issuing a “stay at home” order for all tribal members living within the Mille Lacs Band Reservation and on federal trust lands under the Band’s jurisdiction.
Mille Lacs Health System is continuing its preparation and training to deal with the COVID-19 situation in the Mille Lacs area. As of Monday, March 30, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Mille Lacs County.
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Following similar declarations by President Donald Trump and Governor Tim Walz within the last two weeks, the Isle City Council convened on Thursday, March 26, and Mayor Rodney Schultz issued a mayoral proclamation declaring a local emergency due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The counci…
In lieu of their original agenda for the month of March, the Isle School Board gathered on Monday, March 16 to host a roundtable with representatives across the school’s staff with the purpose of outlining a plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic. An executive order from Governor Tim Walz has…
“We don’t know how this will play out in our area,” Dr. Tom Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System said of the evolving COVID-19 situation and MLHs’s response to it. “But we do know that we are planning to be prepared as much as is possible.”
Onamia Schools plans to offer meals to children 18 and under in the area during the COVID-19 shutdown under the USDA’s Food Service Program.
Riverwood Healthcare is taking additional steps to help control the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), including doing screening for respiratory symptoms at clinic entrances, postponing routine, non-critical clinic appointments and elective surgeries, and offering phone appointments with heal…
To protect the public’s health and slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19, Crow Wing County staff are asking residents for help in donating any extra masks, gloves or hand sanitizer residents may have to spare. There is a drop box outside of the front entrance of the Community Services bu…
Local small businesses are still serving the Mille Lacs community. The following is a list of local businesses with their current hours and services available amid the COVID-19 situation.
No confirmed diagnosis without available testing, clinic says symptoms consistent with COVID-19
We know these are trying times for everyone and accurate, timely information is important for you and your family. As part of our ongoing coverage of COVID-19, we have created this page that allows you to see all the stories that have been posted to date.
As part of our ongoing coverage of coronavirus, we have created a tab in our navigation bar that allows you to see all the stories that have been posted to date. You can also click the link here "Coronavirus" to see those stories.
Panic and self-preservation are natural reactions when our environment is disrupted with something unusual or disturbing, and perhaps more so in a society that is built on the concept of competition in so many areas of our lives.
Late Sunday night, March 15, as more information about COVID-19 became available, APG of East Central Minnesota, the parent company of this newspaper, made the decision to close its office doors to the public for the foreseeable future. This is proactively being done to protect our staff fro…
In late February, Riverwood Healthcare Center began preparedness activities to plan for the potential arrival of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The Mille Lacs Health System COVID-19 Taskforce meets daily, and these updates are current as of March 16, 2020. As of that date, there were no cases of COVID-19 in our area.
Earlier this week, the legislature voted unanimously in the House and Senate to approve emergency funding for the Department of Health to continue their response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We have to be prepared that someone could walk in here tomorrow and need care. We need to be ready for that,” said Dr. Thomas Bracken, Infection Prevention Medical Director for Mille Lacs Health System. Bracken started the discussion with key Mille Lacs Health System staff who gathered last…