Last March, Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime state of emergency, issuing waivers to health care providers that temporarily granted them increased flexibility in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across Minnesota, standard regulations for treatment location, telehealth services, and administrative activities were relaxed.
The state of emergency is set to expire on April 14. It is not known whether Walz will extend it beyond that date.
Cynthia Bennett, the director of Aitkin County Health and Human Services, said that a number of the waivers, such as more flexibility in terms of remote work, should stay in place.
“We had to make all these adjustments because we were not supposed to be face-to-face and we needed to comply with the governor’s executive orders for social distancing,” she said. “And it worked out well, so we would like to continue that, because we found cost savings for taxpayers.”
The waiver are what made telehealth possible and affordable during the pandemic. The increase in use is one of the silver linings of the pandemic allowing more patients to be seen and reducing drive times for patients and often for family or friends who would drive them to appointments out of town.
