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MidMichigan Health, Ascension, St. Mary’s Covenant and McLaren unite to urge public to slow spread of virus
A second wave of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the region – exceeding peak levels seen in the spring – brought together officials from the region’s four health systems, including MidMichigan Health, on Thursday to call on the community to help to slow the spread of the virus.
Health officials from MidMichigan Health, Ascension St. Mary’s, Covenant HealthCare and the McLaren Bay area, who meet weekly to exchange information and monitor the virus, said they feared if positive cases continue to rise, hospital occupancy and staffing rates could become overwhelmed causing shortages of supplies, drugs and personal protective equipment.
Health leaders have also approached social gatherings, safety precautions and the upcoming vacations as ways for the community to help flatten the curve of rising numbers.
Staffing is a particular concern in regional health systems.
At MidMichigan Health, which has six medical centers including MidMichigan Medical Center, 51 employees test positive for COVID and are on leave, said Diane Postler-Slattery, president and CEO of MidMichigan Health.
“Staff exposures are significantly higher than what we saw in the spring,” she said. “As a region, it’s probably one of our biggest concerns as leaders is how are we going to ensure that we are adequately staffed for patients who may continue to enter our facilities.
Postler-Slattery said MidMichigan Health, which covers 23 counties, has 81 COVID hospital patients and seven on ventilators. Two weeks ago, the system had 39 coronavirus positive patients at its medical centers in Midland, Gladwin, Alpena, Clare, Gratiot and West Branch and two on ventilators.
MidMichigan Medical Center on Thursday admitted 48 coronavirus positive patients, including five on ventilators in the intensive care unit and two more in the intensive care unit, she said.
“We have more cases in our MidMichigan health care system than the University of Michigan,” Postler-Slattery said. “It tells you what’s going on in the area and it’s different from what we experienced in the spring,” she said. “We have the proper PPE, but if that holds up for a long time, I think as a region we are all going to struggle.”
Dr Matthew Deibel, emergency medical director, Covenant HealthCare, said he believed people thought the coronavirus was not as widespread as it was in the spring because the condition had not been put on a other “lock”.
“Things are worse now than before,” he said. “Even though there is no lockdown at the moment, the number of hospitalized cases is worse than when we were locked out in the spring. This virus is very contagious. We know masks work.
Deibel said people gathered in small groups and felt comfortable not wearing masks because no one was showing symptoms of coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, we know that people are very contagious for a few days before they have symptoms,” he said. “We have seen the spread and it has often happened in this environment when there have been small groups of friends gathered (and) no one has symptoms, so people feel comfortable not wear their masks and later someone has symptoms and it spreads.
At least three of the health leaders, including MidMichigan Health’s Postler-Slattery, have said they are forgoing their Thanksgiving family reunions – a tradition she said she has done “forever.”
“We ask you as a community to really rethink your gatherings around Thanksgiving.” she says. “I know it’s not the same. I ask and beg you to think about virtual (encounters). We need to protect.”
Dr. Stephanie Duggan, Regional President of Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital, called on the community to continue supporting healthcare workers.
“Let your health workers know that they are appreciated,” she says. “Please keep supporting us, keep supporting those on the front lines and make sure you are doing all the basics and making good choices with the upcoming holiday seasons even if they are really tough. “
Health officials also stressed the importance of safety precautions, including avoiding close contact and limiting social gatherings, washing hands frequently, and covering mouth and nose with a mask when using we are surrounded by other people, covering coughs and sneezes, often cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, monitoring health on a daily basis. , avoiding unnecessary contact outside your home and knowing how COVID-19 is spread.
COVID-19 is spread primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, chants, talks or breathes, according to the Centers for Disease Control. These particles can be inhaled into the nose, mouth, respiratory tract and lungs and cause infection.
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