MN warns 104 health department workers of possible furlough

Minnesota officials notified more than 100 federally funded state workers Monday that they could be temporarily laid off because of the federal government shutdown. Layoff notices have gone out to 104 employees at the Minnesota Department of Health, including an estimated 71 nurses. These state workers are paid with federal funds, and that money is rapidly running out. Most of the employees at risk of furlough work in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program or the compliance monitoring department that inspects hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient medical facilities for potential health code violations.