ST. PAUL -- A 55-year-old Buffalo, Minn., man, critically ill from COVID-19, has been transferred to a Texas hospital after his wife secured a restraining order against an Allina hospital that had planned to take him off a ventilator.
According to court documents, Anoka County District Judge Jennifer Stanfield on Thursday granted Anne Quiner, wife of and power of attorney for Scott Quiner, the order. Anne Quiner then moved him from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids to an undisclosed Texas hospital.
“The patient was transported to a health care facility of the family’s choice this morning,” the health care system said in a statement Saturday. “Allina Health is grateful the family was able to find a health care facility that meets their needs and we continue to wish them all the best.”
On Monday, after questions were raised about Scott Quiner’s care, Allina released a second statement saying it “has great confidence in the exceptional care provided to our patients, which is administered according to evidence-based practices by our talented and compassionate medical teams.” The Minneapolis-based health care system said it couldn’t discuss details of Quiner’s care because of privacy laws.
Quiner, who tested positive for the virus in late October and was admitted to Waconia Hospital with critically low oxygen levels, according to two separate fundraising pages put together for the Quiners for their extensive medical bills.
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Scott Quiner’s vaccination status was not revealed in the court documents. However, the Star Tribune reported that he was not vaccinated.
After requiring deep sedation, his oxygen levels were not improving. He was put on a ventilator and transferred to the intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital on Nov. 6.
According to the Quiners’ attorney, Marjorie Holsten, Anne Quiner was advised that Mercy intended to turn off her husband’s ventilator at noon on Jan. 13. She included a screenshot of his medical chart in the court file to show the hospital’s intentions.
“At this time there is no change in the care plan,” the chart reads. “As defined yesterday, we will plan for cessation of ventilatory support tomorrow (1/13/2022) at noon. Family would be able to be present at the bedside thru the compassionate exception to the no visitor status at this time.”
In Anne Quiner’s petition, she wrote: “Absent an order from the court restraining Defendant Mercy hospital from turning off the ventilator, my husband will die.”
Local conservative podcaster Stew Peters took up the Quiners’ cause and has been posting screenshots of Anne Quiner’s texts to him on Telegram, an instant messaging service.
Peters reported that Scott Quiner’s pulse faded while in transit to Houston on Sunday night, but rallied at the hospital and that he has shown slight improvements and was being taken off heavy sedation. He is receiving physical therapy to rebuild his muscles. All of his organs, except his lungs, are functioning properly, Peters posted, adding that the doctors in Texas told Anne Quiner that her husband was severely malnourished.
A hearing on the restraining order is set for Feb. 11 in Anoka County.
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As of Monday afternoon, the GiveSendGo fundraiser and the GoFundMe site had raised a total of $71,319 for the Quiners.
