Hospital leaders discuss the impact of hospitalization rates on services | Coronavirus / COVID-19

The proportion of COVID-19 patients at Deep East Texas Hospital has remained above 15% for the past seven days, but Lufkin’s two hospitals continue to offer selective treatment.

Executive Order GA-31, which orders hospitals to postpone all operations and procedures that are not medically necessary, allows hospitals to continue those operations as long as they do not interfere with the hospital’s ability to treat coronavirus patients. There are regulations.

St. Luke’s Health-Memorial President and CEO Monte Bostwick said he is confident in the hospital’s ability to continue these services, but will check in to staff daily to ensure that emergency patients are covered. ..

“We will respect the Executive Order. We are already deploying resources and oversight to assess” where we are today. ” It is based on our ability to care for COVID patients along with other critically ill patients, “he said.

“It changes and fluctuates daily depending on our number and quantity, but the ability to evaluate it on a daily basis is something we have already developed and actually did in the July region. It’s a thing. Similarly. “

Drew Emery, CEO of Woodland Heights Medical Center, gave a similar explanation, stating that he has the ability to admit additional patients as needed, whether related to COVID or not.

“We continue to take proactive steps to prepare for the protection of patients, caregivers and communities, with COVID-19 lab test kits, PPE supplies, drug inventories and other supplies now available. We care for our patients and those who may come to our hospital. The future, “he said.

According to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Board, the COVID census for hospitals in Angelina County fell for the second straight day on Thursday. It fell from 23.38% to 19.71% from Wednesday to Thursday.

The census also declined in Trauma Service Area-H, but not so low. From Wednesday to Thursday, the rate dropped from 24.42% to 22.62%.

“We are preparing for a surge, but this is a serious situation,” Emery said. “We urge the community to continue to follow the CDC’s recommended masking and social distance measurements.”

Bostwick has defined various categories of surgery to help patients better understand the problems at the table.

Surgery is usually classified as follows: Those that occur urgently, randomly and need immediate attention. Problems that are urgent and need to be resolved immediately, but do not need to be resolved immediately. Selective, which does not fall into the other two categories, is a problem that affects a person’s quality of life and can raise greater concerns if left untreated, he said.

According to Bostwick, selective treatment is primarily performed at outpatient centers and does not affect how inpatient services are managed as used by COVID-19 patients.

“That’s why our ability to continue selective surgery is very good,” he said. “Going back, the governor wants to allow all hospitals to manage the COVID population in the area.”

St. Luke’s will clearly continue to serve urgent and urgent patients, Boswick said. But they also don’t want to discourage patients from seeing a doctor if there are problems that can get worse, he said.

“Delaying care can make things worse,” he said.

If any hospital finds that surgery is not possible due to so many urgent and urgent problems, contact the appropriate doctor and have them consider alternatives with the patient.

“Both doctors and staff will contact the patient if there are changes to the planned procedure,” Emery said.

It may always be possible, but Mr. Bostwick did not expect the day of surgery to be affected, whether selective or not, when the hospital became full, he said.