MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Hospitals around the state are beginning to feel the pressure of growing admissions due to COVID-19. The Friday report from the DHHR said 753 people are hospitalized, 193 are in intensive care units and 82 people are on ventilators.
Photo/WVU Medicine
WVU Medicine President and CEO Albert Wright said Friday on MetroNews “Talkline” there are 378 COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized across their system. According to Wright, the numbers are concerning, but the growing numbers are creating staffing issues.
“One of the biggest challenges we have is staff,” Wright said. “At Ruby Memorial alone we have 193 out today that are either COVID positive or out on quarantine.”
Wright said WVU Medicine has responded by once again limiting some elective procedures.
“We’ve opened up more ICU beds and we’ve pulled some clinicians that are working in traditionally non-clinical jobs. So maybe you have a nurse working in care management or a pharmacist working in quality that are now starting to help out back at the bedside,” Wright said.
Albert Wright, WVU Health System President and CEO, talks with @DaveWilsonMN about covid hospital updates and the vaccine. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/IKl5pTOFGt
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) December 18, 2020
Wright is also the chair of the West Virginia Hospital Association. In that role, he meets with leaders across the state to develop strategies to manage available beds, patients and staff.
“Two months ago we had about 250 people in hospitals, today we have 753. We’re getting by- I think we’re two-and-a-half weeks past Thanksgiving, so I think we survived that surge,” he said.
One of the strategies to create space at advanced facilities that has emerged from the daily meetings is reverse admissions.
“Rather then staying in Morgantown for their entire stay we might send them back to Buckhannon, Summersville or Braxton County in order to keep capacity at those larger hospitals,” Wright said. “It’s a great example in teamwork for hospitals across the state.”
The next few months could begin the end of the pandemic, but Wright believes personal responsibility will keep people healthy and hospitals with manageable patient loads.
“Get the vaccine as soon as you can, keep wearing those masks and distancing, make wise choices over this holiday- stay with just your immediate family,” Wright said. “If we can do that by the end of January or this spring we’re going to come out of this.”