The Anoka County Board will vote Tuesday on whether to contract with a mobile clinic to provide COVID-19 testing at long-term care and congregate living settings.
The contract, not to exceed $1 million, with Bluestone Physician Services will replace testing that has been provided by the Minnesota National Guard. The Guard is ending these services at the end of the month, forcing some counties to turn to private contractors.
Bluestone, based in Stillwater, has worked with Dakota County since July, said Sarah Keenan, its chief clinical officer. The mobile clinic is now looking to expand into Anoka and Washington counties. In coordination with the Minnesota Department of Health, Bluestone has worked at some senior care facilities in both counties but will look to broaden its reach through contracts.
Doug Schultz, MDH spokesman, said the state is not asking counties to step up and enter into private contracts, but it's a welcome move to alleviate pressure on state resources, even if a significant amount of current testing capacity is going unused.
The state has entered into a number of contracts with health systems, including Bluestone, Schultz said, to ensure there is ample testing capacity available for long-term care facilities.
Keenan said Bluestone hopes to fill the hole that will be left when the Guard ends its testing at long-term care and congregate settings.
Bluestone serves Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida with a focus on senior living communities through on-site visits. When COVID-19 hit in April, it had about 20,000 patients, and Bluestone began testing them, Keenan said.
In Minnesota, Bluestone has been conducting about 2,000 tests a week at 20 to 30 sites, she said. If the contract with Anoka County is approved, Bluestone could start testing as soon as next week.
Counties are required to test any suspected COVID-19 cases within long-term care and congregate living settings, such as group homes. The contracted services qualify for CARES Act funding, of which Anoka County received $43.4 million.
COVID-19 testing has been heavily focused on senior living facilities that account for the vast majority of COVID-related deaths in Minnesota. Of the 1,771 deaths in the state, 1,313 have been of people residing in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751
