CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is an old adage and that is exactly what the medical providers at Charleston Area Medical Center are doing.
Dr. Rayan E. Ihle, who specializes in Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Disease at Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) appeared on Tuesday’s MetroNews ‘Talkline’ to discuss her experiences in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak and outlook for the future.
She said many at CAMC are anxious about what may happen but they are taking good measures to be well prepared.
“The providers know at the hospital that they are being supported in the best possible manner that they can,” Ihle said.
“I’m sleeping a little bit easier the last few days but I’m not going to lie, everybody is a little bit anxious as we try to think about all the possibilities.”
CAMC, which has drive-through COVID-19 testing at multiple locations in Kanawha County, lists eight positive cases in in-patient and 29 in outpatient along with four cases discharged.
West Virginia has been trending around a four percent infection rate daily, less than the national average of eight to 10 percent.
Ihle said things have began to level out from the first few weeks of the outbreak and workers have begun adjusting to the new normal.
“It’s a really a blessing to have this time that some of our colleagues across the country have not had to prepare and get used to these new norms as we try and provide the best care to our patients,” she said.
“We have sort of settled into what we are doing now. Every day comes with change and something new that comes along as we try to adapt to prepare for increasing numbers.”
Ihle said the last two to three weeks she has been trying to prepare the ICU and in-patients services to prepare for a surge. Those plans entail coming up with treatment plans and looking at effective PPE equipment.
Ihle said the hospital is in a good spot administratively, especially with getting the most out of the reusable resources.
“For now we certainly have what we need to take care of patients. Preparing for the worst we’d always like to have more. I think everybody across the country would like to have more but you have to be mindful of those that are in dire needs in New York, California and other states.
“We have what we need right now with a little bit of buffer.”
Rayan E. Ihle, MD specializing in Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Disease At CAMC, talks with @HoppyKercheval about frontlines dealing with COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/DtdQqWUNLr
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) March 31, 2020
Ihle was complimentary of all providers and services at CAMC for their flexibility to pull together in a time of crisis. She said the public should remain together as well and continue to use social distancing, wash those hands and share truthful information.
“Having a pandemic in the social media era is quite different from a pandemic from 1918,” she said. “Stay off social media as much as possible. Get information as you need to but try not to create more frenzy than what is already out there.
“Try to be mindful of some of the social media that’s out there.”
As of Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., the state Department of Health and Human Resources reported 145 total positive cases in the Mountain State along with 3,682 negative cases.