On Thursday, July 7, 2011, Sue Voigt of Voigt, Klegon & Rodè, LLC and Care Providers of Minnesota member Christine Bakke, care center administrator of St. Benedict's Senior Community appeared in front of the Special Master Kathleen Blatz regarding our petition to have background checks and the nursing assistant registry declared essential services.

Judge Gearin approved the order allowing the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to begin performing background studies during the shutdown, effective Monday, July 11, 2011. Read the order here.

This change was a result of a number of organizations, including Care Providers of Minnesota, petitioning for the licensing division of DHS to remain open as essential to supporting core services during the shutdown.

Our arguments at the hearing on Thursday focused more on the nursing assistant registry issues. Our arguments were well received by the special master, with questions focusing on the logistics and importance of the registry in the hiring process. At the end, she indicated that she would recommend that the nursing assistant registry be deemed essential.

Judge Gearin is acting on the recommendations from the special master as they come to her. We anticipate that she will act quickly on the nursing assistant registry, and we will keep you updated as we receive the information from the court.

Toby Pearson
952.851.2480
tpearson@careproviders.org

Resources

Our Sponsors