Crow Wing Co. Seeking Temporary Fix to Pay Jail Health Care Workers After Provider Bankruptcy

Seven Crow Wing County healthcare workers are being left without pay as they continue to show up and do their jobs at the Crow Wing County Jail after a service provider declared bankruptcy and stopped paying health care workers employed through them.

After declaring bankruptcy in November, medical service provider MEnD stopped paying three medical technicians and four nurses. Put between a rock and a hard place, Crow Wing County officials hurried to find a temporary solution until they can properly take care of the problem.

Crow Wing County officials’ main priority is to stabilize the seven unemployed health care workers along with putting certain policies and a medical director in place. Until then, they are working with Advanced Correctional Healthcare and Essentia Health to present proposals for other provider options that can be considered and thoroughly vetted.

At a recent county board meeting, county administrator Tim Houle said they should notify MEnD and let them know they are in breach of contract for failure to pay their staff. In doing so, Crow Wing County will be short paying their invoice by the amount they need to cover their staff.

The board made a consensus decision to withhold the money from MEnD and take care of nurses that have been going without pay first.

Houle says with holding the money is only a temporary fix in helping the nurse’s situation. They will continue to seek other options to have Advance Correctional Healthcare or Essentia as a service provider to find a more permanent solution.