Minnesota assisted-living home gave resident 18 alcohol shots before doctor visit

State investigators say Covered Bridge Assisted Living in Holdingford gave resident Don Brambrink 18 alcoholic shots in the 24 hours before a scheduled telehealth appointment, leading to his emergency-room transport.

Minnesota health officials concluded that Covered Bridge Assisted Living in Holdingford supplied resident Don Brambrink with a total of 18 shots of liquor and a beer within a 24-hour period before his scheduled telehealth appointment. Brambrink, who has a history of daily alcohol use, methamphetamine use, and auditory hallucinations, missed the appointment after drinking while fishing, prompting staff to report he was “dead to the world.”

When his primary-care doctor requested vital signs, the RN found him collapsed on the floor, and he was rushed to the emergency department with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.23%. Hospital staff wanted to keep him for observation for possible withdrawal, but he declined, stating he would rather go home and keep drinking. The facility’s written “alcohol plan” called for two shots per hour to help him “drown out the voices.”

Owner Trista Barstow argued the home is one of the few that accepts “extreme alcoholics” and said the policy respects residents’ rights under Minnesota law. She announced plans to appeal the neglect finding, asserting that the facility’s documentation shows compliance with state regulations.