Name: 'The public should be gravely concerned.' Integris could begin prioritizing patient access to care based on likelihood to recover
Brand: oklahoman.com
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'The public should be gravely concerned.' Integris could begin prioritizing patient access to care based on likelihood to recover

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Josh Dulaney and David Dishman Editor's note: Recently filed sworn statements and evidence submitted by the state of Oklahoma in a legal case against several bars shine light on the thought process behind the Governor's decision-making process for COVID-19-related restrictions and the current state of hospital capacity. This story is one of two, and The Oklahoman is continuing to report on the court case as it continues.Integris Health may have to prioritize which COVID-19 patients on the brink of death will receive lifesaving care, according to the hospital system’s chief medical officer."The public should be gravely concerned," Julie Watson told The Oklahoman, after testifying Friday in a court case to determine if Gov. Kevin Stitt has the authority to enforce a curfew on bars and restaurants. "If it comes to it that . . . that is a dire need that we should all be doing everything we can to prevent."Watson also signed a sworn statement about the healthcare system being overwhelmed by the number of COVID-19 patients.The statement was one of several submitted by the state as evidence in its case against a group of bar and restaurant owners who sued the state over Stitt's 11 p.m. service curfew.A judge on Friday extended her order barring the state from enforcing the governor's curfew at state bars and restaurants, and said she would rule on the case later.In what she said what be "an unprecedented occurrence for our community," Watson said cautioned that Integris may have to decide which patients may continue using vital resources based on likelihood of recovery.Integris is training a Scarce Resource Allocation Team, or a group of clinician volunteers to implement “the criteria to ration care that the Oklahoma State Department of Health approved earlier in the pandemic.”The team would assess patients using scarce resources like ventilators and ICU beds, “and determine who is responding well-enough to maintain the intervention, and who is not likely to improve given their health status, so another patient must be given the opportunity to use the resource,” Watson said.Watson said the Integris hospital system in August averaged 88 COVID-19 patients a day. By December, that number grew to 275 patients a day.Projections show that COVID-19 demand for Integris acute care beds could exceed 400 patients.As of Jan. 4, 55% of ICU capacity across all Integris hospitals was serving COVID-19 patients, Watson said in her statement. She could not be immediately reached for comment at the time of publication.The struggle to treat COVID-19 patients is being felt by other hospitals in the state, as well."All other hospital systems are experiencing similar challenges as Integris Health, and there are generally no open beds waiting to serve COVID patients," Watson said.

Josh Dulaney and David Dishman Editor's note: Recently filed sworn statements and evidence submitted by the state of Oklahoma in a legal case against several bars shine light on the thought process behind the Governor's decision-making process for COVID-19-related restrictions and the current state of hospital capacity. This story is one of two, and The Oklahoman is continuing to report on the court case as it continues.Integris Health may have to prioritize which COVID-19 patients on the brink of death will receive lifesaving care, according to the hospital system’s chief medical...

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'The public should be gravely concerned.' Integris could begin prioritizing patient access to care based on likelihood to recover

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