By Rep. Paul Anderson
Our health care system is the best in the world. In Minnesota, over 127,000 are employed directly by our hospitals and health care systems, with another 100,000 jobs associated with health care.
We say thanks to those doing this life-saving work and pray for their safety.
Much has been written about the lack of intensive care units (ICUs) in this country. According to Kaiser Health News, over 50 percent of the counties in the United States have no ICU beds. We are better off here in central Minnesota, with Stearns County itself having 41 such beds. Douglas and Kandiyohi counties each have 8 ICUs, and Todd County has three.
Those working in the medical field are doing exceptional work. They are on the front lines, testing folks and treating those who are positive. Hospitals have changed how they operate in anticipation of larger numbers of residents becoming infected. Elective surgeries have been put on hold, and personnel have been assigned different duties.
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Our state has done what many others have by implementing a stay-in-place order for all residents except those deemed to be working at essential jobs. Gov. Tim Walz issued the executive order for two weeks, but left open the possibility of extending it. Minnesotans are doing well in observing the order, with one bright spot being the number of traffic accidents reported to law enforcement down by 49 percent.
I have fielded numerous questions pertaining to what jobs are considered to be essential. Guidelines from the federal office of Homeland Security are being used, but they are general in nature. For example, one broad area, Agriculture and Food, is among those deemed essential. Farmers and those working in food processing are obvious examples of essential in this category. But, what about our local sales barns where livestock is bought and sold on a regular basis? What about the hay auction in Sauk Centre, which is the largest in a multi-state area and serves the needs of those needing additional feed for their animals?
The federal government passed a huge $2 trillion relief package to help all those financially affected by the pandemic. There seems to be something in the bill for everyone, along with a few items that leave one wondering how they pertain to the coronavirus situation. There is a Small Business Authority (SBA) loan program that hopefully will help our businesses recover. There is also a provision extending state unemployment benefits from six months to nine.
Farmers, especially those in dairy, are being negatively affected by what's happening. With schools not in session, there is a large drop in the demand for fluid milk, with prices reflecting that market loss. We were just beginning to recover from years of depressed milk prices and now they are going down again. There is even talk of dumping milk because there may be no market for it.
A new loan program is part of the state relief package passed last week by the Legislature. We need additional clarification on this and other loan programs, and the information needs to get out to bankers so they can administer these programs. It may take a few days, but check with your lender to get the details of the new state-backed loan program and any others that are available, including loans from the SBA.
You can always call my office at (651) 296-4317, my home phone at (320) 239-2726 or email me at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn if you need additional information.
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