Name: 'We went from shelter-in-place to wide open:' Health officials say system is overwhelmed
Brand: clarionledger.com
SKU: clarionledger-com-36
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

'We went from shelter-in-place to wide open:' Health officials say system is overwhelmed

preview

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsThe five largest medical centers in Mississippi have no ICU bed space for new patients – coronavirus or otherwise – and are being forced to turn patients away, even as COVID-19&nbsp; continue&nbsp;to surge.In some cases, patients are being sent to facilities out of state and as far away as&nbsp;New Orleans. In many&nbsp;hospitals, patients admitted to the ER&nbsp;are being forced to spend the night before they receive treatment."(Wednesday), five of our biggest hospitals in the state had zero ICU beds. Zero,"&nbsp;State Health Officer&nbsp;Dr. Thomas Dobbs said.&nbsp;"Our biggest medical institutions who take care of our sickest patients have no room."Health experts from across the state gathered Thursday to discuss their concerns on the pressure the health care system is facing. In an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus, they&nbsp;sent a clear message to Mississippians in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.Wear a mask, socially distance and if possible stay home.The burden on the system is unsustainable unless the state manages to flatten the curve of new cases, the experts said.&nbsp;Cases continue to rise and that will leave little to no room for additional patients, including those suffering various form of trauma, and stroke and heart attack patients.The transition from shelter-in-place to where we currently stand, with the highest number of hospitalizations since the first reported case of the coronavirus virus on March 11, has left the state&nbsp;"wide open," said Dr. Louann Woodward,&nbsp;UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs."As we have eased up and as we have opened up, we have seen a much more rapid spread of the virus across our state. In fact, we are having — right now — our largest surge of patients..."Wear a mask?:"We&nbsp;went from shelter in place to really wide open. We have got to find that right place, that middle ground," she said.&nbsp;Woodward stopped short of a full endorsement of a statewide mask mandate, but conceded she would if Mississippians didn't heed the warning.&nbsp;"Just like any other person in the state of Mississippi and in the country, you don't appreciate anybody mandating anything...However, if that is what it takes for the people in our state to realize we are serious and that this is a major safety mandate, then I support a mandate," she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cities call for mask mandates:The University of Mississippi Medical Center — like other hospitals in the state — is booked to capacity, said Dr.&nbsp;Alan Jones, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine.&nbsp;Jones said the center in recent days has been forced to not accept some patients, coronavirus or otherwise.&nbsp;A major event, such as a hurricane, would cripple the system even further, he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;"We want to continue to give you the care you need. If we continue on this trend, we won't be able to do that...I was woken up by a phone call yesterday at 4 a.m. because we had so many patients in our hospital, we didn't know where to put them," he said.&nbsp;Emergency room physicians, as well as other medical staff, are feeling the impact, as limited hospital beds and extended wait times are causing standard of care to decrease.&nbsp;"We are gravely concerned," said UMMC Dr. Utsav Nandi with the American College of Emergency Physicians. "Although we are on the&nbsp;front lines of the pandemic, we also take care of a lot of other patients across the state. Many of whom are coming to us on the worst day of their&nbsp;lives. And we want to help our patients."&nbsp;Nandi encouraged Mississippians to wear masks, socially distance, limit nonessential gatherings and use hand sanitizer.&nbsp;&nbsp;"We need your help. We can't do it alone," he said.&nbsp;Dobbs said "it is time" for hospitals "to step up" and&nbsp;activate surge plans to make sure they&nbsp;have room for additional patients. The Health Department&nbsp;on Tuesday at medical facilities in seven counties in the state. As cases rise and hospital space is limited, it's possible&nbsp;the department will require other counties in the state to do the same.Dobbs said the department has also seen a massive surge in testing and testing demand in recent days.&nbsp;For comparison, he said the department's main testing facility tested 875 people on Wednesday, up from an average of just over 100 two months ago.&nbsp;Mississippi is among the worst states in the country per capita for the&nbsp;spread of the virus, he said."We're worse than our neighbors. We're way worse than our neighbors. We're number five in the country as far as the spread of the coronavirus."&nbsp;Despite the outbreak, health and education officials favor the reopening of schools across the state, said Dr. Anita Henderson, a pediatrician and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.&nbsp;What happens in the next month will determine if those plans are realized.&nbsp;"We want school to be successful and we want to get our kids to school in the fall," said Henderson.&nbsp;She said the over 160 school districts are working with state health officials on what precautions to take ahead of a return.&nbsp;"We have special needs, special education students who need to be in school. That cannot happen with distance learning," she said.&nbsp;View Comments

Mississippi Clarion LedgerView CommentsThe five largest medical centers in Mississippi have no ICU bed space for new patients – coronavirus or otherwise – and are being forced to turn patients away, even as COVID-19&nbsp; continue&nbsp;to surge.In some cases, patients are being sent to facilities out of state and as far away as&nbsp;New Orleans. In many&nbsp;hospitals, patients admitted to the ER&nbsp;are being forced to spend the night before they receive treatment."(Wednesday), five of our biggest hospitals in the state had zero ICU beds. Zero,"&nbsp;State Health Officer&nbsp;Dr. Thomas...

'We went from shelter-in-place to wide open:' Health officials say system is overwhelmed

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS