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North High School
Class of 1966
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Last update June 28th, 2020 ~ 5:00 PM
New updates are towards the bottom of the webpage!
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Johnson's Car Accident
March 11th, 2020
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Kathy Samson Mike and Kathy you both must have been really scared. I am so glad you are recovering. Prayers for you both. Kathy Kukar Samson.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Kathy
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Linda Ryan Stay positive. Prayers to you and wishing all blessings for the time to pass quickly during your therapy. ❤️❤️
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Floyd A. Ruggles Linda I'll pass your kind words to Mike & Kathy the next time I speak to them. Hopefully that will be soon.
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Carol Rucke Glime It was very nice to hear the words full recovery. Take care. Hugs to you both. Love. Carol Rucke
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Kathy Samson I hope they are ok.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Mike has one broken leg several broken ribs and a head injury. The impact was on Kathie side of the car she has two broken legs and massive injuries. She flatline at the accident but recovered. Mike told me it will be a long recovery for both of them. But they should recover. Thank God
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Kathy Samson Floyd A. Ruggles I am so sorry please share with them that we care and trust they will make a full recovery.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks will do, stay safe.
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Kathy Samson Floyd A. Ruggles please take care of yourself and your family. Pretty scary times.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks but it's just going to get worse I'll take it a day at a time.
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Cheryl Royce Oh my goodness. So sorry to hear this.🙏🙏🙏🙏 for a good recovery!
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Cheryl stay safe
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Cheryl Royce Floyd A. Ruggles you too Floyd
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Lynn Christofferson Gill-Saatela Floyd, glad they will recover!!!
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Lynn
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Mary Earley Oliver Wow so sorry to hear this!
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Floyd A. Ruggles I hope you and all of class of 66' are doing well at this difficult time.
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Mary Earley Oliver Floyd A. Ruggles we are still in AZ for another month but so far we are good! Hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy!
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Trudy Persons Parks Oh wow glad to hear they will recover. How scary. How are you doing Floyd? You guys sheltering in place? We are out here in CA. Stay safe cousin.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Where shelter in place and lockdown for 14 days for the safety of friends and family. We just got back from a 10-day vacation in Las Vegas. We will assess our situation in 10 days.
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Linda Ryan So sorry to hear this. Sounds good but a tough road ahead of them. Prayers for a steady pace getting better!!!!
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Linda
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Jackie Jorde Oh my. So sorry to hear of this news. Really like both of them!
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Jackie Jorde Stay safe Floyd A. Ruggles!!!
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Jackie
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Bill Lee So sorry to hear about this, I recently saw Mike at the funeral of a mutual friend.
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Floyd A. Ruggles I ran into Mike & Kathy at a car show a month or two ago stay safe Bill. If you need Mike and Kathy address and phone number. I'll send it to you.
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Robert E Griffin "I ran into Mike & Kathy"???
Might want to rephrase that, Floyd.
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Jeff Ansel We’re not so young anymore so recovery is slower but we’re a stubborn generation and won’t give up easily. Thoughts and prayers.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Isn't that true Jeff stay safe.
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Paula Lange So sorry to hear this news. Thank you for keeping everyone informed, Floyd. They will both be in my thoughts & prayers. Be safe everyone.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Paula
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Patti Weber McAnally So very sad to hear this my prayers will be for there speedy recovery 🙏🏼🙏🏼 take care all my North High classmates and stay well 💙
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Patti
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Gail Farrand Rager So sorry to hear the news. Thanks for the update Floyd. Prayers for a their recovery.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks stay safe Gail
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Gail Farrand Rager Do you have an address where we could send a card?
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Floyd A. Ruggles Last known address for Mike & Kathy Johnson is 6766 Evergreen Lane North, Maple Grove, Mn 55369-5534
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Joanne Prass-Jones So sorry to hear this, prayers for a speedy recovery.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Joanne
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Tilman Bergman My prayers for their recovvery.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Tilman
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Tom DeMars Tilman Bergman 🙏🙏🙏 being sent from CA for a healthy recovery for Mike and Kathy. Thanks Floyd for keeping all of us posted on our dear classmates of ‘66
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Tilman, Thanks Tom stay safe see you both at the 55th reunion in 2021
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Cornelius Jackson We are all praying for thém!
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Daniel Rodriguez Hope all is well with both, will Pray for them please keep us updated.
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Diane West Wishing them a speedy recovery and I will keep them in my prayers.
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Carmen O'Brien Rettke Wow, thank you Floyd for keeping us posted. Stay healthy everyone!!
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Bonni Saice So sad to hear this news, but happy you always keep us up to date, Floyd. Prayers for a speedy recovery. I also pray for everyone’s health and welfare during this crazy time.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Bonnie
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Carol Rucke Glime One nice thing about this post is every time I see it I see it I'm reminded to say another prayer for them.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Carol
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Marilynn Wolk Paulson Sending best wishes and prayers.
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Susan Wehr Praying for a speedy recovery. Thanks for letting everyone know. Stay safe everyone!
- Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Susan I pray that they recover fully. I can't for the life of me even imagine what they're going through in this difficult time we are all in.
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Michael H. "Mike" Johnson
Married his High School Sweetheat, Kathleen R. Rasmussen from our class of '66
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| Click for her class Web Page! |
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| 52 Years will be 53 years on July 8th, 2020. |
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| Click for Mike's Class Web Page! |
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Michael Johnson & Kathleen (Rasmussen) Johnson
July 8th, 1967 Wedding Photo from left to Right are:
Loyd Ellis Jones, 1967 NHS graduate, USMC - Born Decmber 16th, 1948 Loyd gave the ultimate sacrifice to his country in Vietnam on September 10, 1968 for more Info click here.
Melanie Johnson, Sister of the Groom. 1970 NHS graduate. Born January 25th, 1952 - Died of cancer on September 14th, 2011
Linda Allard, Maid of Honor and First Cousin of the Bride.
Kathleen (Rasmussen) Johnson, Bride. 1966 North High School Graduate. Click Here Kathleen's webpage.
Michael Johnson, Groom. 1966 North High School Graduate. Click Here for Michael's webpage.
Kenneth Stay, Best Man. 1966 North High School Graduate. USAF Vietnan. Ken's webpage click here.
Kenneth Bakken , Groomsmen. 1966 North High School Graduate. USAF Vietnan. Ken's webpage click here.
Harold Bakken, Groomsmen. 1967 North High School Graduate. USMC Vietnan Veteran. Harold's webpage click here.
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Carol Rucke Glime Thanks Floyd. I’m keeping especially Mike and Kathy in my prayers.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Carol, I'll update the class soon. I spoke with Mike yesterday. All my prayers are going out to the Johnsons and the class of '66 in this difficult time we are in.
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Patti Weber McAnally Thank you Floyd for all the work you do for our class, and praying for the Johnson’s speedy recovery 🙏🏼🙏🏼
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Patti
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Jackie Jorde Thank you Floyd for keeping us updated. We appreciate you. Praying for Mike and Kathy and their recovery!
God’s Blessings to you Floyd❤️
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Mike Sterling Good to see you Floyd, thank you and much appreciation for what you’ve been doing. God bless Kathy and Mike, and their caregivers.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Mike, I'll look forward to seeing you at our 55th reunion in 2021. Stay Safe.
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Mike Sterling Floyd A. Ruggles thank you Floyd.
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Cornelius Jackson Thanks Floyd!
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Floyd A. Ruggles You're Welcome
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Trudy Persons Parks Thank you for the update on Mike and Kathy. Good to see you! It’s been a long time. #cousins
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Floyd A. Ruggles It has been a long time.
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Diane West Thank you so much Floyd for the update on Mike & Kathy! I will keep them in my prayers.
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Floyd A. Ruggles You're Welcome Diane
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Fred Knight Thanks so much Floyd, for this and all you do on our class’s behalf. Sending all good vibes to Mike & Kathy.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Will do Fred stay Safe my friend
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Amalio Perez im sorry to hear that
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Mary Earley Oliver Thank you Floyd for the update on Mike and Kathy. 🙏 are being said for them.
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Terry Rice Thanks for keeping us informed Floyd.
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Floyd A. Ruggles You're welcome Terry
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Marilynn Wolk Paulson Yes, thank you Floyd.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thank You
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Steve Scheunemann Thanks Floyd. Sounds like good news. Please keep us informed. And thanks for all that you do for our class.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Steve
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Paula Lange Thank you, Floyd. Continuing prayers for Mike & Kathy and all the '66 class & their families.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Paula, Stay safe and we'll get through this difficult time together as a class..
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Update: Wednesday April 1st, 2020
I spoke with Michael Johnson yesterday. He said to say HI to the Class of '66 and thank them for all the good wishes and prayers. He and Kathy are in lockdown and isolated from family and friends. Recovering and going through rehab from the accident. This will go on through June and possibly into July or August. He believes he and Kathy will recover. I pray that they have a full recovery. I can't for the life of me even imagine what they're going through In this difficult time we are all in. Their three sons aren't allowed to visit them and the only way they can see their parents is through the window outside their rooms. I asked Mike if they can receive any cards from the outside.
He said that their sons can drop things at the front door of the building where they're at for them but their sons are not allowed to enter. So if there's any classmates, friends or family out there who would like to send a card or two. Cards can be sent to their Maple Grove address. Their sons will pick them up and deliver them. I could sense through the cracks in Mike's voice that this is a very difficult time for both of them and I do pray that they recover fully. Stay safe and we'll get through this difficult time together.
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Carol Rucke Glime Thanks Floyd.
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Gail Farrand Rager Thanks for update...
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Linda Ryan Thanks for keeping all of us updated. I can’t imagine how difficult it is with family and friends not being able to be with them during time for emotional support. Prayers to them.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Stay safe and we'll get through this difficult time together.
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Judy Edwards Thank you for the update
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Floyd A. Ruggles You're welcome
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Myrtis Simmons Thanks Floyd A. Ruggles
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Floyd A. Ruggles Stay Safe
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Myrtis Simmons I'm also under Myrtis Allotey
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Myrtis Simmons My new married name
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Trudy Persons Parks Thank you for keeping us updated
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Floyd A. Ruggles You're welcome
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Lynn Christofferson Gill-Saatela Thank you so much, Floyd! You do so much for our class and Ray and I appreciate the endless hours you give. Looking forward to seeing you and Linda before too much longer...🙏🏻.
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Floyd A. Ruggles I'll look forward to that day. Stay Safe
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Daniel Rodriguez Yes thank Floyd we all appreciate you stay safe you and your wife
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Terry Tompkins As always, thanks for the connecting links you weave together for our class and classmates.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks, Stay safe Terry and we'll get through this difficult time together as a class..
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Lee Anderson Thanks Floyd, I appreciate what you do.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Lee
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Clarissa Breiland GOD BLESS THAT FAMILY BACK TO GREAT HEALTH !!
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Floyd A. Ruggles I'll pass your kind words to Mike & Kathy the next time I speak to them. Hopefully that will be soon. Stay safe and we'll get through this difficult time together
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Clarissa Breiland Thanks for all of the kindness you give to all!! Much love to you & Linda
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Cheryl Royce Thanks for the update Floyd!
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Cornelius Jackson We are praying for you!
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Steve Scheunemann Any recent up dates?
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Update: Thursday April 16th, 2020.
Good morning class of '66. I spoke with Michael Johnson yesterday. He said to say hello to the all of our Classmates and thank them for all the good wishes, cards and prayers. He and Kathy are in recovery and it a day to day process for them.
Mike had a small setback a few days ago but he is upbeat and moving forward. Kathy is responding well and expected to be released from the hospital by the end of May or first part of June.
Mike is hoping to go home by July 8th the day of their anniversary so he and Kathy can celebrate together.
He said to tell the class that he would be (definitely) at the 2021 class reunion.
Cards and good wishes can be sent to their Maple Grove address. Their sons will pick them up and deliver them to their parents.
I could sense through Mike's voice this time that things are improving for them. Still this is a very difficult time for both of them and I do pray that they recover fully.
I hope that the class of '66 is doing well. We'll get through this difficult time together. Till next time, stay safe.
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Click to Listen To The Music!
"I heard it through the grapevine"
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Looking for more good news!
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Update: Thursday April 30th, 2020.
Great news. I spoke with Michael Johnson moments ago and he is in excellent spirits. Kathy will be going home tomorrow! She will need help but is very excited to get home.
Mike is hoping be home in 5-6 weeks, His broken ribs and body cast are slowing his recovery. I could tell how much he is looking forward to the future. He can't wait to get home and get under that car and find out exactly what the damage is. Once a car guy, always a car guy.
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| North High School ~ Class of '66 |
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Myrtis Simmons
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Terry Tompkins
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Tilman Bergman
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Robert E Griffin
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Steve Scheuneman
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Clarissa Breiland
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Lee Anderson
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Linda Ryan
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Bonni Saice
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Paula Lange
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Ray Saatela
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Amalio Perez
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Tom DeMars
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Mary Earley Oliver
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Comelius Jackson
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Judy Edwards
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Charles Kobow
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Floyd Ruggles
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Lynn Christofferson Gill-Saatela
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| North High School Class of '66 |
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Kathy Johnson has gone home. She'll still be recovering at home from the accident.
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Johnson's Car
2005 Chrysler 300 SRT8
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| Mike Johnson Staging at BIR at the Muscle Car Shootout in 2007 |
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| Doing burnout in our 2005 Chrysler 300 SRT8 at BIR in 2007 |
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I received this email today from Mike Johnson...
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As you see that the GOOD LORD was watching over Kathy and Me. Kathy and I can celebrate our 53rd Wedding Anniversary and many more, GOD WILLING. Kathy and I would like to Thank all THE 1966 NHS Classmates that Prayed we would Have and FULL and Speedy Recovery.
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GOD BLESS YOU ALL !!!!!
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Grandme Kathy has decided she will no longer be Drag Racing Her Mid-Nine Second Dodge Dart. She told countless people that Drag Racing was much safer than the Highway.
The Accident in which we were Hit Hard and push down a steep hill in which we Hit a Large Poll area 60 MPH
( AT 88 FEET PER SECOND ). It just proves Kathy was right. There is just one YOUTUBE video that a friend of ours posted. Mike and Kathy Johnson
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| Kathy racing a good friend at Cedar Fall Raceway in 2011 |
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| Kathy (Rasmussen) Johnson "Grandma Kathy" launching her '68 Dodge Dart at the Muscle Car Shootout at BIR on Sept. 5th, 2015. |
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Facebook Comments from Classmates
Minneapolis North High School Class of 1966
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| Gail Farrand Rager |
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Gail Farrand Rager Wow! I just read through everything that's been posted. Floyd Ruggles you are something else. I just appreciate so much how you keep all of us up to date. I think our class has grown stronger and more in tune with our fellow classmates. And, Kathy out there in a dragster. I had no idea. Racing is also my passion, but you'd never see me behind a wheel. Cool to see. so glad they are recovering well. Thank-you so much!
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| Carol Rucke Glime |
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Carol Rucke Glime How do I get past this
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Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from www.weststpaulantiques.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). Learn more
NET::ERR_CERT_INVALID
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Carol, Try refreshing your browser from time to time by hitting F5 on your keyboard. The class website is an old website.On a very old platform it's not a secure site.It would take too much time to build a new website and we would lose too much information that's on the current website. A good example of a new secure website would be my Marine Corps site. It took me over 6 months to build it for the Marine Corps. And today it's still a work in progress two years later. Check it out sometime at: https://1streconbn.org/
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| Cheryl Royce 2018 |
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Cheryl Royce Thank you Floyd for keeping us updated on our fellow classmates. You are doing an amazing job! I'm sure everyone is grateful for all the work you do keeping us informed. Also, I'm shocked that Kathy and Michael survived the accident after looking at their car! Yikes! 🙏 Continuing for them.
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Floyd A. Ruggles Thanks Cheryl
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| Jackie DeFer |
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| Jackie DeFer Jorde |
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Jackie Jorde Thank you so much for the update Floyd! So happy for the Johnson’s!
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Floyd A. Ruggles I'm glad that Kathy could go home so soon. Mike is looking at about 4 to 6 weeks before he is ready to go home.I pray that he doesn't have a set back.
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| Diane West |
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Diane West Thank God that prayers were answered and Kathy & Mike had Guardian Angels with them! God Bless and keep on getting better!
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| Susan Wehr |
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| Susan Wehr 2016 |
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Susan Wehr, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| Trudy Persons Parks |
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Trudy Persons Parks, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| Kathy Kukar Samson |
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Kathy Samson, Loved the posting on Facebook.
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| Mike Sterling |
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Mike Sterling, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| Myrtis Ingram Simmons 2017 |
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Myrtis Simmons, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| Steve Scheunemann |
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| Steve Scheunemann 2018 |
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Steve Scheunemann, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| Steve Pink 2019 |
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Steve Pink, Liked the posting on Facebook.
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| From the Class of '66 |
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Minnesota nursing homes, already the site of 81% of COVID-19 deaths, continue taking in infected patients
Nursing homes accepting infected patients, even as death toll mounts.
By Chris Serres Star Tribune
MAY 20, 2020 — 11:45AM
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| May 20th, 2020 |
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Jeff Johnson and his mother, Kathy Johnson, are visiting, Michael Johnson, who is 71, at the North Ridge Health and Rehab nursing home in New Hope. The Johnsons are worried that North Ridge's policy of accepting COVID-19
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Kathy Johnson
May 20th, 2020
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| Jeff Johnson May 20th, 2020 |
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Despite the devastating death toll, Minnesota nursing homes are still being allowed by state regulators to admit coronavirus patients who have been discharged from hospitals.
Early in the pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Health turned to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to relieve the burden on hospitals that were at risk of being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Minnesota hospitals have since discharged dozens of infected patients to nursing homes, including facilities that have undergone large and deadly outbreaks of the disease, state records show.
Now that practice is drawing strong opposition from some lawmakers, residents’ families and health watchdogs, who warn that such transfers endanger residents of senior homes that are understaffed and ill-equipped to contain the spread of the coronavirus. They are calling for more state scrutiny over transfers, including stricter standards over which nursing homes should be allowed to accept COVID-19 patients from hospitals.
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| North Memorial ambulance workers prepared to transport a resident from North Ridge Health and Rehabilitation in New Hope on Wednesday. |
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Currently, even poorly rated nursing homes with large and deadly clusters of coronavirus cases have been allowed to admit COVID-19 patients from hospitals. One such facility, North Ridge Health and Rehab in New Hope, has accepted 42 patients from hospitals and other long-term care facilities since mid-April even as the coronavirus has raged through its 320-bed nursing home, killing 48 of its patients and infecting scores more.
“It makes no sense to bring more COVID-19 patients into facilities that have already failed to protect them,” said Sen. Karin Housley, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee. “If it were my mom or dad in one of these facilities, I would be really worried.”
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State health officials and long-term care industry representatives have defended the practice of discharging some COVID-19 patients to nursing homes, saying it is part of a broader strategy to conserve critical hospital beds during the pandemic. Long-term care facilities can provide treatment for coronavirus patients who still need care, but have stabilized enough that they no longer require hospitalization, officials said.
So far, 11 facilities statewide have been designated as “COVID support sites,” with separate units or wings to handle coronavirus patients. These specialty sites have gone through a vetting process by the state to ensure they have adequate staffing, supplies and infection-control standards.
However, other nursing homes have been allowed to admit COVID-19 patients under private arrangements with hospitals. The practice is widespread. The state Department of Health has reviewed the cases of about half the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide. The agency found that 27%, or about 268 patients, were discharged to long-term care facilities since the pandemic began.
“Hospital beds are a key resource during this pandemic, and they must be preserved for those who are in need of acute care,” the Minnesota Department of Health said in a statement. “For COVID-19-positive patients whose care requirements are below that level, the goal is to get them out of the hospital and into an appropriate setting for their next stage of care — one that can provide the services they do need while minimizing the risk of transmission.”
But the fear that moving coronavirus patients to nursing homes might trigger more infections has been compounded by the alarming death toll in such facilities.
Statewide, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus has killed more than 600 Minnesotans at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. That is a staggering 81% of the deaths from the pandemic statewide. No other state in the nation that reports such data has such a high percentage of deaths in long-term care, according to an analysis by a Texas-based nonprofit. Nationwide, outbreaks in long-term care facilities have claimed 33,000 lives — more than a third of all deaths nationwide, according to the Associated Press.
“To be sending more contagious people into these settings is a serious cause for concern,” said Rep. Jeremy Munson, R-Lake Crystal, a member of the House Long-Term Care committee.
Jeff Johnson of Maple Grove said his 71-year-old father has been a patient at North Ridge since he suffered severe injuries in a car crash in March. He was surprised when a staff member at the facility informed him that COVID-19 patients were being admitted to the facility from area hospitals. While his father remains symptom-free, Johnson said he is concerned that staff might carry the virus from the newly admitted patients.
“I was absolutely shocked that [North Ridge] would risk exposing workers and everyone else in a facility without asking for our input,” said Johnson, a gymnastics instructor. “It seemed that we should have had some say in the matter.”
Government health records show that North Ridge has struggled in recent years to adhere to basic standards of patient care. The facility has been fined $117,000 by federal regulators and cited for dozens of health and safety violations over the last three years. The nursing home earned just two stars (“below average”) on the federal government’s five-star rating system for overall care. The facility was also listed among the most-troubled nursing homes in the nation.
A spokesman for North Ridge acknowledged that admitting patients with COVID-19 has posed challenges, but said the facility has space and enough trained caregivers to handle new admissions of COVID-19 patients. Early in the pandemic, North Ridge set up separate units to isolate COVID-19 patients from the rest of the clients and was able to provide them with a full supply of protective equipment, he added.
“We don’t regret caring for people in need for a second,” said Austin Blilie, vice president of operations at North Ridge. “These are people who are being turned away from other places that do not have the capability to care for them.”
Although there is no evidence that moving coronavirus patients to nursing homes has caused infections to spread, the practice has come under increased scrutiny nationwide. Officials in California and New York both ordered nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients to help reduce potential overcrowding in hospitals during the pandemic; but then both states reversed those directives after an outcry from senior groups and the medical community, according to news reports.
Already, one large Minnesota nursing home has suspended plans to take in coronavirus patients amid public opposition.
The operator of Augustana Care Health and Rehabilitation in Apple Valley had planned to create a separate, 28-bed unit for people recovering from the virus, but pulled the plug in April after dozens of residents’ families and local officials voiced concerns in public Zoom calls. Despite assurances that any new patients would be separated and cared for by dedicated staff, many families expressed trepidation about bringing COVID-19 into a facility that has not been infected, said Bob Dahl, chief executive of Cassia, which operates the facility.
“We thought it was a good idea from a public service perspective, but there was significant pushback,” Dahl said. “What [families] couldn’t accept was this idea of admitting someone with COVID when it was not in the building, and why would we do that now? It was perfectly understandable.”
Advocates for nursing home residents and public health experts have argued that facilities should not be allowed to decide on their own whether to admit COVID-19 patients. And they want the homes to meet certain standards. Facilities with low staffing levels and poor infection-control records should be barred from accepting such patients, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a nonprofit legal assistance group for seniors in Washington, D.C.
Across the nation, there are examples of poor-performing nursing homes accepting coronavirus patients with little or no oversight from state regulators, said Toby Edelman, a senior attorney for the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Some of these facilities have a one-star rating of “much below average” from the government for staffing levels and quality of care, Edelman said. “Without some minimum standards, this is a recipe for disaster,” she said.
Joseph Gaugler, a professor of long-term care and aging in the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, said nursing homes should be required to establish certain safeguards before accepting COVID-19 patients. These include demonstrating that they can isolate infected residents, maintaining regular testing, and have a staffing plan to handle an influx of new patients with the virus.
“If a nursing facility isn’t following best practices, then [coronavirus] patients should go elsewhere,” Gaugler said.
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We need the whole class of 1966 from North High to start praying for Mike. So he can get home safe without the COVID-19 Virus. He should be leaving in a month or so.
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New Hope nursing home with deadly coronavirus outbreak cited for numerous health violations
More than 40 residents at North Ridge Health and Rehab have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
By Chris Serres Star Tribune MAY 7, 2020 — 12:21PM
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A Twin Cities nursing home with a troubled regulatory past has become the site of one of the state’s largest coronavirus outbreaks — continuing a deadly trend among senior facilities with poor health and safety records.
At North Ridge Health and Rehab, a large senior community in New Hope with a 320-bed nursing home, 44 residents have died and another 68 have been sickened by the COVID-19 respiratory illness in recent weeks. Only one other senior facility in the state has seen more fatalities from the virus.
North Ridge shares a troubling characteristic with many of the nursing homes across Minnesota beset by coronavirus outbreaks: Historically, it has struggled to adhere to basic standards of patient care. The facility has been fined $117,000 by federal regulators and cited for dozens of health and safety violations over the last three years.
Its repeated run-ins with regulators fit a pattern: So far, 75% of the approximately 70 nursing homes in the state with at least one case of COVID-19 have been cited for not following infection control rules over the last two inspection cycles, starting in 2016, according to a Star Tribune analysis of federal health inspection data.
“We have seen this across the country, where facilities that failed to take basic health and safety controls seriously are having the most problems” amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Toby Edelman, senior policy attorney with the Center for Medicare Advocacy in Washington, D.C. “It’s one reason the virus spreads so rapidly.”
Officials at the Minnesota Department of Health said it has been changing its practices to respond to the pandemic. The agency’s health regulation staff has been prioritizing infection control during surveys and conducting onsite visits of facilities with past performance problems. The department has also been sending teams of infection control experts into nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to help contain deadly outbreaks.
Still, long-term care facilities like North Ridge remain ground zero for the pandemic in Minnesota. Together they account for 80% of the 485 deaths statewide from the virus. “This pandemic is shining an even brighter light on the systemic issues” in long-term care, said Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, in legislative testimony last week.
A spokesman for North Ridge said its size partly explains why it has experienced such a large COVID-19 outbreak. The nursing home was caring for about 300 patients when the pandemic began and is the largest long-term care facility in the state. North Ridge is also one of the few long-term care facilities in Minnesota that has been accepting hospital patients diagnosed with COVID-19. In the last 10 days alone, the nursing home has admitted 15 patients who had previously tested positive for the illness, the spokesman said.
Yet the nursing home is reporting signs that it has turned the corner in its efforts to contain the deadly outbreak. The facility has isolated sickened residents on dedicated “COVID-19 units” within its building, while screening employees daily for symptoms and imposing stringent physical distancing and sanitation measures. Since April 29, the facility has seen a reduction in the number of its residents testing positive for the virus, the facility said. About 30 of its staff have also tested positive for the virus.
Austin Blilie, vice president of operations at North Ridge, noted that the 44 deaths at the facility represent 3.2% of the positive COVID-19 tests, which is below the statewide ratio. “This is an awful virus and the fight against it is extremely difficult,” he said.
Still, even before the pandemic, North Ridge stood out as a repeat violator of basic standards for care.
In early January, inspectors found 23 health violations at the nursing home — nearly three times the average number of citations for Minnesota nursing homes during inspections. The facility has also been fined three times and had its Medicaid or Medicare payments denied on two occasions, a penalty typically imposed when problems persist, according to federal records.
Patti Schuveiller is relieved that she moved her 90-year-old mother, who had an apartment in the independent living section at North Ridge, out immediately after her mother tested positive for COVID-19. Her mother had lost 20 pounds and was suffering from severe nausea and gastrointestinal problems before the facility agreed to her family’s urgent request that she be tested for the virus, Schuveiller said.
Her mother, Joyce Roycraft, is now in stable condition and is recovering from the virus at a rehabilitation facility.
“I firmly believe that, had my mother stayed at [North Ridge], she would not be alive today,” Schuveiller said. “The facility was not set up to provide the quality of care that she needed.”
Health regulators have cited North Ridge for a wide range of violations related to safety, quality of care and resident rights.
These included failing to report allegations of abuse, failing to maintain an adequate supply of insulin, and not monitoring a patient’s rapid weight loss. Last June the facility was cited for failing to thoroughly investigate an incident in which a patient pulled out a knife and threatened another resident. A month later, North Ridge was cited for failing to report potential sexual abuse between two residents with cognitive disabilities who were found undressed together in bed, records show.
All told, North Ridge has 26 complaints over the past three years that resulted in citations. The nursing home earned just two stars (“below average”) on the federal government’s five-star rating system for overall care. However, it received four stars in the category of “quality measures,” which includes care measures such as prevalence of falls and emergency room visits.
Most of the facility’s health and safety violations over the past three years were classified as causing “minimal harm or potential for actual harm,” health records show. “Still, we knew after those inspections that we had significant work to do — and we have made strong progress,” said Blilie, the facility’s vice president of operations.
Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist and adjunct faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing, said the records illustrate the importance of examining a nursing home’s inspection history when searching for a facility. The federal government’s website, Nursing Home Compare, assigns quality-of-care ratings to all nursing homes and contains health inspection reports going back three years.
While flawed, the Nursing Home Compare tool can point to poor standards of care, he noted. For instance, a New Jersey nursing home, where 17 corpses were recently found piled inside a facility where nearly 70 had already died from COVID-19, had the lowest overall ranking of one star. However, using the same rating system, the nursing home with Minnesota’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, St. Therese of New Hope, where nearly 50 residents have died, earned four out of five stars despite having a large number of health violations.
“You find patterns of citations … that can provide a general sense of the quality of care,” Caspi said.
Staff writer Glenn Howatt contributed to this report
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| For Michael "Mike" Johnson from our class of '66 |
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Mike Johnson
June 27th, 2020
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I apologize for being late on this posting and update on the Johnsons. I have been out of town for the last 3 weeks. Mike called me a couple times in early June to let me know he was cleared to go home to continue his rehab after 6 Covid-19 tests all coming back negative. I think all parties concerned felt it would be safer to rehab from home. So I'm glad to say Mike and Kathy Johnson are both now home in Maple Grove. I wish them both a speedy and full recovery. I would like to be the first to wish them a Happy Anniversary. Their 53rd Anniversary is July 8th.
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| Mike and Kathy Johnson |
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North High Class of 1966 Facebook Page Comments!
as of 6/28/2020 4:35 pm
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| Carol Rucke Glime |
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| Trudy Persons Parks |
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Trudy Persons Parks, Thank you for the update and happy anniversary to Mike and Kathy! Ralph and I just celebrated our 50th in April.
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| Kathy Kukar Samson |
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Kathy Samson, Thank you Floyd for being there for all of our class. Prayers for everyone during this stay at home and wear a mask time.
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| Jackie DeFer |
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| Jackie DeFer Jorde |
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Jackie Jorde, Thanking you for sharing. Glad they are home together now!!
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| Cheryl Royce 2018 |
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Cheryl Royce, Awesome news!
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| Gail Farrand Rager |
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Gail Farrand Rager, Glad they are home to celebrate. And, a Happy Anniversary....
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| Diane West |
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Diane West, Thank you Floyd for always sharing important news! Glad they are both home! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Kathy & Mike!💕💕💕
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| Carmen O'Brien-Rettke |
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| Carmen O'Brien Rettke, Good news, and Floyd thanks again for all you do!
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| Jean Janikowski-Olson |
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| Jean Janikowski Olson, Happy anniversary to Kathy and Mike, that is a wonderful milestone and happy that you are both doing well. Thank you Floyd for providing news about all of our classmates, it is appreciated.
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| Jeff Ansel |
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| Jeff Ansel, Betty and I are both working from home and don’t anywhere without masks. So glad that Mike and Kathy are getting better. Floyd, you don’t get enough credit for what you do. Thank you!!
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| Linda Nelson 1966 |
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| Linda Nelson-Ryan |
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Linda Ryan, Thank you for all you do in keeping us informed 😍
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| Paula Lange |
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| Paula Lange, 👏 So happy to hear Mike got back home. Happy Anniversary to Mike & Kathy! Thank you for the update, Floyd.
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| Robert E. Griffin |
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| Robert E. Griffin |
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| Robert E Griffin, Good news. Thanks for the share. Bride and I celebrated 50 this past week
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| Mary Earley Oliver |
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| Mary Earley Oliver, Thank you Floyd for this wonderful update on Mike and Kathy. Happy Anniversary to them!
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| from the North High Class of '66 |
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North High Class of 1966 Facebook Page Likes!
as of 6/28/2020 4:35 pm
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Cheryl Royce
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Leslie Fursetzer
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Diane West
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Michael Guggenheimer
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Mike Sterling
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Marilynn Wolk Paulson
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Lee Anderson
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Jeff Ansel
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More Information coming soon!
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| Jeff - Born March 11th, 1975, Steven - Born July 11th, 1979 & Mike - Born August 23, 1968 and Passed away suddenly on October 5th, 2000 |
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