Photo courtesy of Avera Marshall As the region prepares for COVID-19 response, medical workers at Avera Marshall are refreshing their skills in ventilator care. Here, Respiratory Therapist Lori Biastock leads Registered Nurses Karen Maher and LuAnn Lessman in refreshing their training on the use of one of the ventilators. .

MARSHALL — As the number of cases of COVID-19 grows across Minnesota, preparing a response is a crucial task for hospitals.

“While health care organizations like Avera Marshall have ongoing preparedness plans for emergencies of a local and regional nature, with COVID-19 we are in uncharted territory,” Avera Marshall’s Regional Medical Center’s CEO said Thursday.

Mary Maertens and other Avera Marshall officials spoke with the Independent during a conference call on the hospital’s level of preparedness.

Currently, there are three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lyon County, one in Lincoln County and one in Yellow Medicine County. However, officials in the region, counties and cities are bracing for a burst of more cases.

Maertens said that planning the response to that COVID-19 burst is a task that goes beyond local hospitals. It will take cooperation on multiple levels, as hospitals like Avera Marshall work with the state, regional health care coalitions, local leaders and other health care providers.

She also said Avera Marshall is working together with local and state health officials to develop surge plans for COVID-19 response. Details of those plans are expected to be finalized soon.

There are a number of factors that make responding to the COVID-19 pandemic a complex problem, Maertens said. While different models predict there will be a surge of COVID-19 cases, it’s not certain how long that surge will last or when it will be at its peak. Plus, many people who have COVID-19 won’t need to be hospitalized. All of those things have to be considered in figuring out how hospitals like Avera Marshall will need to respond to the crisis.

COVID-19 response involves state and regional levels as well as local responders, Maertens said. There are eight regional emergency preparedness coalitions in Minnesota, covering different areas of the state. Avera Marshall’s service region is in the area served by the Southwest Healthcare Preparedness Coalition.

Avera Marshall has clinical protocols it is using to assess and treat people who may have COVID-19, Maertens said. Avera Marshall has also formed its own incident command for its service region, which works with other local incident command centers and health care providers, as well as the regional coalition for southwest Minnesota and the state.

On a more local level, Avera Marshall does have supplies like ventilators that can be used for COVID-19 response. However, Maertens said response plans have to be fluid, and they involve more than just what beds and resources are available in Marshall. There are resources available through the Avera Health system, the region and the state of Minnesota that could be called on. Medical resources can also be moved to go where they are needed most.

“Flexibility will be crucial to medical and emergency response in the area. People really need to heed the governor’s stay at home order and do their best to isolate and socially distance themselves,” Maertens said.

Additional staff training is also an ongoing part of local response efforts.

“I want to lift up our nursing staff,” for their role in training and response at Avera Marshall, Maertens said.