Now in downtown St. Paul, M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital serves long-term acute patients

M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital may no longer overlook the Minnesota State Capitol from its perch in Capitol Heights, but the hospital – now located in downtown St. Paul – continues to serve as a critical link in statewide healthcare network.

In March 2020, our health system converted the former Bethesda Hospital building along N. Capitol Boulevard into one of the country’s first dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. The facility served in this role for nearly a year before it was ultimately removed to make way for a new mental health hospital.

At the same time, M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital, our health system’s well-known and established long-term acute care hospital, was relocated to what is now known at the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub in downtown St. Paul.

Since then, Bethesda Hospital, which is fully dedicated to long-term acute care, has continued to serve patients with long-term acute care needs, such as sudden trauma or serious illness. The hospital also expanded its number of long-term acute care beds available to the community. Bethesda currently has 24 staffed beds.

What is a long-term acute care hospital?

Bethesda Hospital is one of just two licensed long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) in Minnesota. These facilities help seriously ill but stable patients regain their health before heading home or stepping down to a lower level of care – often to a skilled nursing facility.

LTACH patients do not need traditional ICU or emergency treatment because their health is relatively stable, but because of complex medical needs still require a high level of around-the-clock care. Common problems treated at an LTACH include respiratory distress/ventilator management, wounds that won’t heal, severe brain injuries, organ failure, or major chronic health conditions. The average patient stays in a long-term acute care hospital for approximately one month.

To support the unique needs of long-term patients, the team at Bethesda has access to a wide range of specialties and services so that patients and families can have peace of mind knowing that everything they need is all under one roof.

The hospital offers on-site lab, telemetry, radiology, pharmacy, and dialysis services to help patients recover more quickly and through efficiencies potentially reduce the overall cost of care. Lung, kidney, infectious disease, and palliative specialists all consult at the hospital. These specialists help patients breathe independently, manage wounds, provide dialysis, and handle other complex medical needs. Physical, occupational and speech therapists are also offered six days a week. Bethesda also offers spacious patient rooms with views of downtown St. Paul.

As a result of this strong, multi-disciplinary care, Bethesda Hospital has a ventilator weaning rate of 71%, compared to the national average of 53% and the regional average of 63%. Ventilator weaning is the gradual process of reducing the amount of mechanical support a person needs to breathe, allowing their body to take over again.

“Long-term acute care hospitals serve a critical role in treating the most acutely ill patients who are stable but need extended time to recover in a hospital setting,” said Hospitalist Nathan Frink, MD, who sees patients at M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital. “The same quality care we were known for in our former location still exists today at our current location within the Hub. No other LTACH in Minnesota offers the same comprehensive range of services as we do.”

Team members dedicate their careers to long-term acute care.

Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) are unique settings. Providers who dedicate their careers to this type of care are both highly compassionate and skilled in the unique needs of long-term patients.  

"We help heal broken bodies and mend broken lives," said Amber Ries, RN, BSN, PCCN-CMC, describing her team at Bethesda, where she has worked for 10 years. " We are there to encourage, reassure, and commend our patients for every small step they take forward in their recovery."

The care team at Bethesda includes many therapy partners from the fields of physical, occupational, respiratory, and speech therapy. Together with physicians, dietitians, and other specialists, they work together to prepare patients to safely transition to their next level of care. Patients at Bethesda receive daily beside visits from their physician, highly trained ICU nurses, and other specialists.

Over time, relationships form between patients and their teams. The Bethesda team celebrates every discharge, with staff frequently gathering to say goodbye to the patients and families they’ve come to know.

Although it can be bittersweet, ultimately the staff at Bethesda wants to see patients move on. “We are thrilled beyond words when we see our patients leave us to go home again,” said Ries.

How can patients get admitted to Bethesda LTACH?

To be admitted to Bethesda, patients and their families need a referral from a clinician – often a social worker or case manager that is part of your care team. Families are welcome to call our admissions office at 612-273-4277 for information about long-term acute care service.

If you are an M Health Fairview care provider interested in referring a patient to Bethesda LTACH, follow these steps:

• Make a referral through care management: Contact the care manager or social worker covering your patient’s unit and ask for them to make a referral to Bethesda LTACH. The care management team will send a referral through EPIC to Bethesda LTACH. That referral will be received by the Bethesda team and is typically reviewed within the same day. The care management team can also call with the referral, fax, or use a variety of online communication tools (VCS, Teams, email) to reach us.
  
  
• If you have questions about qualifications for LTACH or need to speak to a liaison: Call the admissions office at 612-273-4277 and ask for the liaison covering for LTACH admissions for the hospital to which your patient is admitted. You will be routed to the liaison covering that hospital on a given day. We are happy to answer any questions on what qualifies patients for LTACH level of care or discuss any barriers to admission that may be present.

If you are a care provider from another health system interested in referring a patient to Bethesda LTACH, follow these steps:

• Make a referral through care management: Contact the care manager or social worker covering the patient’s unit and ask for them to make a referral to Bethesda LTACH. The care management team will send a referral through EPIC to Bethesda LTACH. That referral will be received by the Bethesda team and is typically reviewed within the same day. If the care management team does not have access to EPIC referrals, they can also call with the referral (612-273-4277), or fax it (651-232-2787).
  
  
• If you have questions about qualifications for LTACH or need to speak to a liaison: Call our admissions office at 612-273-4277 and ask for the liaison covering for LTACH admissions for the hospital to which your patient is admitted. You will be routed to the liaison covering that hospital on a given day. We are happy to answer any questions on what qualifies patients for LTACH level of care or discuss any barriers to admission that may be present.

M Health Fairview Bethesda Hospital is located at 45 W. 10^th St., St. Paul, the site of the Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub and the former St. Joseph’s campus.