Families struggle to bring home babies as home healthcare crisis continues
ALBERTVILLE, Minn. -- Next to toys and books, there are medications and care charts for baby Elin Anderson who burst onto the scene early.
"She was only 13.1 ounces, 10 inches long. You could hold her in your hand," said Jill Anderson. "She's had 12 surgeries, thousands of blood draws, blood transfusions. She was on a breathing tube for many months before she got this trach. She's just been through so much, but she's come so far."
But the journey to get Elin home took 411 days -- initially because she needed NICU care, but eventually because Jill and Kyle couldn't find a home healthcare nurse.
In the end, they spent four extra months in the hospital just because they couldn't find care.
That is until Marie entered the picture and made this family's dream come true.
"Everybody is working really hard and she's just succeeding our expectations," said Jill Anderson.
Darla Thompson is with Aveanna Healthcare and she's active on the board of the Minnesota Home Care Association. She says there are dozens of Minnesota children ready to leave hospitals today if they could find home nurses.
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"Paying a nurse that's ICU level vent trach trained for these babies is difficult because they can make much more in a facility," said Thompson.
Thompson says raising Minnesota's reimbursement rate for this type of care would translate to higher wages for home healthcare nurses, making it a more attractive job.
Some states nearby do pay more -- she says the reimbursement rate in South Dakota is $32 higher than it is in Minnesota. For perspective, she says the reimbursement rate is $46 per hour in Minnesota.
"Nurses we can hire in South Dakota get on average $15 more an hour," said Thompson. "These kids that can be managed at home with home care and training, et cetra, we have to get them home."
For Elin, her baby steps continue at home. And the Andersons hope it'll happen for others too.
"She's just such a fighter that we want to fight like her for these other families," said Jill Anderson.
Lawmakers are considering multiple bills to raise reimbursement rates in Minnesota.
