A man who was suffering from a severe case of COVID-19 and being kept alive by a ventilator has been moved from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids to a care facility in Texas just days after a judge issued a restraining order prohibiting the hospital from turning his machine off.
Scott Quiner, 55, of Buffalo, was flown from the Twin Cities to Texas over the weekend, an attorney representing the family said.
"Scott is now in a hospital in Texas getting critical care," said Marjorie Holsten, a local attorney hired by Quiner's wife, Anne. "The doctor said Scott was the most undernourished patient he has ever seen. The last update I got was yesterday afternoon after some tests had been run; all organs are working except his lungs."
Holsten did not name the Texas hospital.
Allina Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, issued a statement saying it is grateful the family was able to find a health care facility that will meet their needs.
"We continue to wish them all the best," part of the statement read.
Allina said it could not respond to the allegations of malnourishment, stating that due to privacy laws, it can't discuss care provided to specific patients.
"Allina Health has great confidence in the exceptional care provided to our patients, which is administered according to evidence-based practices by our talented and compassionate medical teams."
Scott Quiner's case drew widespread attention last week after Mercy Hospital said it would disconnect the ventilator on Thursday. Quiner, who was unvaccinated, had been in the hospital's ICU since Nov. 6 with critically low oxygen levels and had shown little signs of improvement since his arrival.
Quiner's wife, Anne, went to Anoka County court seeking an emergency restraining order to prevent Mercy from disconnecting the ventilator. Without a judge's decision, "my husband will die," Anne wrote in her petition seeking the court's action.
"I have advised the doctors that I vehemently disagree with this action and do not want my husband's ventilator turned off," court papers said.
Anne Quiner, who was appointed by her husband to make health care decisions on his behalf, also said in court filings she was looking for an alternative place to get care for her husband.
Anoka County Judge Jennifer Stanfield ruled in favor of Anne Quiner's request and had set a hearing to be held online Feb. 11.
Two fundraisers to help cover Scott Quiner's medical expenses have generated thousands of dollars. A GoFundMe has pulled in more than $29,000 as of Monday afternoon. A second fundraiser on the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo was seeking to raise $100,000. As of Monday, the effort had brought in about $43,000.
