Karen Newman 

 Clay County Public Health Director Kathy McKay and Cheryl Sapp, Clay County Public Health Nurse provided the weekly Covid-19 report to the Clay County Commissioners Tuesday.

McKay reports “We are doing quite well in Clay County compared with other states.” She adds that ‘Covid Fatigue’ appears to be affecting the 18 to 22-year-old and 23 to 29-year-old age groups whose numbers of infected individuals are rising.  Weary of social distancing, masking and with more businesses opening for gatherings without personal protection, young people are going out more. McKay emphasizes that most younger people will not require hospitalization to deal with the illness and that Sanford and Essentia hospitals are not being overwhelmed with Covic-19 cases at this time. Cases in long-term and congregate care facilities appear to be decreasing.

Current Clay County Covid-19 statistics:

· 20 cases are active.

· 507 are considered to be recovered.

· 38 deaths occurred to date.

· 591total cases recorded.

· Some numbers remain fluid until the Minnesota Department of Health inputs them into their tracking system.

Clay County Public Health Nurse Cheryl Sapp serves as liaison between the Clay County Department of Health and higher education. Using guidance from the Minnesota Department of Public Health, she conducts Zoom meetings with MSUM and Concordia to plan for students returning to campus in the fall of 2020. Sapp emphasizes the importance of the state and local health departments serving as resources for higher education, “It is kind of overwhelming for the schools who are dealing with students living in the dormitories and with a large percentage of international students.” She adds that some international students weren’t able to go home after spring semester and remain living on campus.  Points of discussion for MSUM and Concordia are:

· Do returning international student need to quarantine?

· What plans need to be made for students developing Covid-10 during the academic term?

· Establishing medical providers for each campus for Covid-19 situations.

· Working with public health and higher education requirements from North Dakota and Minnesota to achieve uniformity in Covid-19 planning for students living in a border community.

McKay and Sapp plan to continue to serve as resources for MSUM and Concordia.

Churches United Supportive
Housing Development Proposal

Pastor Sue Koesterman, CEO of Churches United; Joe Rizzo, representing Beyond Shelter, Inc.; and Rhonda Porter, Clay County Social Services Director appeared before the commission seeking support for a Supportive Housing Development proposal. The proposed development will be a 36-unit supportive housing building with community space to serve those 55 and over who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless who need the empowerment and shelter of a supported housing environment.

Rizzo, whose organization, Beyond Shelter, Inc., is partnering with Churches United, reports that gathering community input to demonstrate need for a supportive housing development became complicated in the midst of the Covid-19 distancing requirements.  A Zoom meeting was held in June with 24 participants affirming the need for the proposed development. Rizzo says, “Now we are at the point of requesting support from the county.”

Commissioner Frank Gross asked, “When you say support from the county, what kind of support are you looking at?”

Commissioner Kevin Campbell replied, “The county’s role in this is to basically confirm the need for the project.” Campbell says that his priority was to determine the county’s financial obligation if  state-funded housing assistance ended. He reports that he spoke with Porter, Koesterman and the Clay County Attorney who all assured him that the county is not obliged to take over funding if the state withdraws assistance.

Rhonda Porter, Clay County Social Services Director amplified Campbell’s statement about county support for the Silver Linings project proposal. With the board’s permission, she will sign on behalf of the county. She explains, “The county’s letter of support confirms that we’ve been engaged in conversation about the development. We recognize that there’s a need for this development in our community.” The Housing Support Agreement proposal, accompanied by the county’s letter of support, will be sent to the state for approval.  Commissioner Campbell pointed out that Clay County already participates in several Housing Support Agreements.

Commission Chair Gross inquired about property taxes, “Do these things go on the tax rolls?” Koesterman assured him that they do. She went on to say that Churches United formerly provided emergency shelter and support but their mission now is to help individuals be safely housed in a more permanent environment.