COVID patient moves to Texas hospital after wife sued to keep him on ventilator in MN
Scott Quiner had been fighting COVID-19 on a ventilator for months in Minnesota, but after a life-or-death legal fight with his hospital, his family is moving him to Texas for treatment, outlets report.
Quiner, a 55-year-old man from Buffalo, MN, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late October, the Star Tribune reported. By Nov. 6, he was transferred to Mercy Hospital and put on a ventilator — and it’s kept him breathing since.
Quiner was unvaccinated, the outlet reported.
After more than two months on the machine, Quiner’s doctors decided to take him off of it on Jan. 13, court documents show.
His wife, Anne Quiner, filed a lawsuit to stop the hospital from removing the ventilator, an action which would “end my husband’s life,” an affidavit read.
“I am in the process of finding a new facility to provide care for my husband but need more time,” it said.
According to reports, Anne Quiner also asked doctors to try other treatments and drugs. What those alternative treatments were isn’t clear, but the doctors refused.
Lawyers for the hospital argued that Quiner’s position “is not supported by medical science or Minnesota law,” documents show.
Ultimately, a judge granted a restraining order to keep Scott Quiner on the ventilator, and another hearing was set for Feb. 11.
Marjorie Holsten, a lawyer representing the Quiners, told TV station KMSP that Scott Quiner was flown by helicopter to a hospital somewhere in Texas.
McClatchy News reached out to Holsten for comment.
Holsten’s social media shows a history of skepticism toward the scientific community and articles sharing COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
The attorney told KMSP that she expects Scott Quiner’s condition to improve at the Texas hospital.
“And as he gets better and better, we are going to see that you know what, there are protocols that should be used that hospitals have not been using,” Holsten told the outlet. “And I am hoping that changes are going to be made as a result of this case.”
Allina Health, which operates Mercy Hospital, where Quiner was being treated in Minnesota, confirmed that he was transferred to a Texas facility, outlets reported.
“The patient was transported to a health care facility of the family’s choice (Saturday morning),” according to a statement obtained by KARE. “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.”
After omicron’s surge, will variant cases slow down? Experts are cautiously hopeful
COVID-test vending machines are popping up at colleges in the US as omicron spreads
Does being infected with the omicron variant protect you against delta? What to know
Political hopeful who criticized COVID vaccine mandates dies of virus in California
