Interview: IT Manager Details Strategies Used by a Small Healthcare Facility in Minnesota as They Navigated the Pandemic
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, small healthcare facilities in rural areas, such as North Valley Health Center in Minnesota, have had to adapt their IT strategies to ensure continued healthcare delivery. One key example of this is North Valley Health Center, a primary care facility that has expanded its telehealth and virtual care services.
Josh Benson, the IT manager at North Valley Health Center, has been at the forefront of these changes. According to Benson, the IT team involved nurses, medical staff, lab technicians, and other employees in figuring out solutions to the challenges posed by the pandemic. The team has learned a lot about processes and what they want to do going forward in terms of collaboration and mobility.
One of the immediate challenges during the pandemic was identifying how to change patient care to meet the needs of patients. To implement drive-through coronavirus testing, North Valley Health Center altered an ambulance garage. This innovative approach allowed the facility to continue providing essential services while minimising potential virus exposure.
Telehealth platforms have proven effective in maintaining continuity of care. Video conferencing, electronic data exchange, and virtual visits have enabled rural providers to perform routine checkups, connect patients with specialists remotely, and enhance access, reducing travel burdens.
Health Information Technology (HIT) has also played a crucial role. IT systems have facilitated secure storage, retrieval, and transmission of protected health information, improving communication and care coordination.
Virtual care networks, such as British Columbia’s Real-Time Virtual Support network, provide patient-facing services and decision support for local providers, improving emergency and specialized care access.
Mobile and capsule clinics with telemedicine have enhanced service flexibility and accessibility. These innovative solutions bring healthcare physically to remote areas, while capsule clinics use telemedicine in unmanned sites to provide 24-hour checkups and consultations.
The North Valley Health Center IT team has been fortunate to receive support from their administration in providing them with the resources needed to help other departments care for patients. The team has had to stretch their resources as a small site, with only four people, during the pandemic. However, they have been able to help other departments in the facility take care of patients due to their efforts.
Benson stressed the importance of having conversations with stakeholders to understand their needs for success. He also highlighted that the North Valley Health Center IT team has had to make difficult compromises to address the risks that come with remote flexibility during the pandemic.
These adaptations have helped rural healthcare centers manage increased demand, address workforce challenges, and improve health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Some temporary policy relaxations enabling telehealth reimbursement and cross-state licensure have been extended or made permanent, supporting sustained use of these IT tools in rural healthcare delivery.
Sources: - Rural Health Information Hub on telehealth in rural healthcare, including pandemic changes (ruralhealthinfo.org, 2025) [1] - Research on virtual care networks supporting rural and Indigenous populations in Canada (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2025) [3] - Studies on mobile and capsule clinics leveraging telemedicine to enhance primary healthcare accessibility in rural areas (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2025) [5] - Minnesota Health Equity Networks newsletter mentioning rural healthcare needs and responses (health.state.mn.us, 2025) [4] - BENSON: The North Valley Health Center IT team has had to work with other entities like CDW and other vendors to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Technology has been instrumental in North Valley Health Center's adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to expand telehealth and virtual care services. The IT team, led by Josh Benson, has collaborated with various departments to implement innovative solutions, such as drive-through coronavirus testing and mobile clinics equipped with telemedicine.
