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The head of one of the largest regional health systems in the Midwest has told his workers he has recovered from COVID-19 and is back in the office – without a mask.
Sanford Health Chairman and CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft said in an email on Wednesday that he believed he was now immune to the disease for “at least seven months and possibly years to come” and that he was not threatening not pass it on to anyone, so wearing a mask would only be for show.
The email from Krabbenhoft, who is not a doctor, comes as hospitals in the region, including his own network, struggle to keep up with some of the worst outbreaks of coronavirus patients in the country. And this comes at a time when mask wearing remains a politicized issue in many states.
Sanford Health, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has 46 hospitals and more than 200 clinics concentrated in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. It employs nearly 48,000 people. The Dakotas have the worst spread rates in the country in several weeks, with Iowa up close, while Minnesota is catching up.
“For me, wearing a mask defies the effectiveness and purpose of a mask and sends a false message that I am susceptible to infection or that I could pass it on,” Krabbenhoft wrote in the email, obtained by The Associated Press. “I have no interest in using masks as a symbolic gesture. … My team and I have a duty to express the truth and the facts and the reality and not to argue the contrary.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has refused to impose a statewide mask mandate. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum did so last week after months of pressure. Other Republican governors, including Kim Reynolds of Iowa, have started changing their mask tenures as their hospitals fill up. Democratic Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz ordered one in July.
Krabbenhoft did not immediately respond to a maintenance request on Friday. Sanford Health released a statement on social media that did not respond directly to his comments, but said: “Since the start of the pandemic, our healthcare providers have called on our communities to do their part by wearing masks and by physically distancing yourself to slow the spread. virus. It is the best way to reduce the stress on our health system.
Sanford Health is requiring clinic employees and visitors to hospitals and clinics to wear masks, according to its website. It was not immediately clear whether Krabbenhoft’s decision not to wear a mask opened the door for anyone who works or visits a Sanford facility to choose not to wear one if they say they have already contracted the disease.
The CEO did not explain in his email why he thinks he is immune for at least seven months. Scientists are not yet sure whether having had the coronavirus once protects against future illnesses or how long protection might last. It’s also unclear how long an infected person can spread the virus, but scientists believe people usually get rid of it within about 10 days of onset of symptoms, unless they have one. weak immune system or certain other conditions.
Krabbenhoft acknowledged that masks are a good idea for people who have not contracted the virus and are therefore at risk of acquiring it and then spreading it.
“It’s important for them to know that the masks are just smart to use and in their best interest,” he wrote.
But Dr. Kathy Anderson, president of the North Dakota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Krabbenhoft’s message was “certainly not helpful” and “a particularly dangerous message to send right now in Dakota. North.”
It’s hard for ordinary people to know what to believe given all the mixed messages they get, Anderson said. And she said it’s important for people to know he’s not a doctor.
“State and nation leaders need to understand the power of leadership,” Anderson said. “The power of leadership isn’t just about telling others what to do. The power of leadership lies in modeling the behavior that others must follow. “
Tessa Johnson, president of the North Dakota Nurses Association, called Krabbenhoft’s message “disheartening.”
“I think one of the things is that we really tried to get public support for wearing a mask and social distancing,” she says. “And when a public figure says otherwise, it just confuses.”
Krabbenhoft told Sioux Falls chief Argus for an article published on Friday that he did not think South Dakota needed a mask warrant. He said his hospital system was well positioned to handle any increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 before vaccines became widely available.
“At this point, we think we have this under control,” Krabbenhoft said. “There is no crisis.”
But another large regional health system, Sioux Falls-based Avera, told a South Dakota lawmaker on Friday it now supports mask warrants after stopping before backing them. In a letter to Democratic Representative Linda Duba, an Avera executive said the organization was “forced to change its position” given the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, fatigue from its frontline caregivers and support for a healthy workforce and keeping businesses and schools open.
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