Governor Walz Announces Actions to Support Hospitals During Omicron Surge

Press Release

Governor Tim Walz today announced his intention to provide $40 million in new funding to help support hospital staffing to serve Minnesotans across the state during the current surge of COVID-19 cases brought on by the Omicron variant. Governor Walz submitted his plan for the funding from the American Rescue Plan to the Legislative COVID-19 Response Commission on Wednesday.

The $40 million will cover the costs for providers (mostly RNs) who will work 60 hours per week for 60 days to provide care to patients at certain Minnesota hospitals dealing with staffing shortages due to COVID-19.

With case counts expected to rise over the next several weeks, the Walz-Flanagan Administration is using every available resource and taking action now to help ensure that hospitals in Minnesota have more staff to enable them to provide the best care possible.

"As we look ahead to the next few weeks, we know we're going to continue to see a sharp rise in cases from the Omicron variant across our state. To help hospitals provide Minnesotans with the most urgent care, we're announcing $40 million in funding to increase emergency staffing support during the Omicron surge," said Governor Walz. "This funding will support our health care heroes and help Minnesotans get the care they need. Minnesotans also have an important role to play in supporting our hospitals. The best thing they can do to protect themselves and their families and support our frontline workers is to get vaccinated, get boosted, get tested, wear a mask indoors, and to stay home when they are sick."

"We are facing a difficult few weeks ahead, and our administration is committed to using every available resource to ensure our hospitals stay staffed and Minnesotans can get the care they need," said Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. "My deepest thanks to our health care workers on the frontlines. We see you, and we are working to provide relief."

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