At our October 19 meeting, Helen Strike, president of River Falls Area Hospital, spoke to Rotary about “Covid from another angle”. The talk provided an insider’s perspective on the pandemic’s effect – from inside the health care system.
Based on what Minnesota health care leaders saw happening in places like New York City, in early 2020 regional health care leaders created the “C4” – Critical Care Coordination Center. Its purpose was to oversee and react to the varying impact of COVID on hospitals in Minnesota as well as the border areas of western Wisconsin (us!) and the Dakotas. Working together allowed the systems to optimize the balance between hospital capacity and the demand for care.
Helen noted that 30 local hospitals have made more than 700 placements through the coordination provided by the C4 committee. She also noted that load leveling occurs among the critical access hospitals in western WI.
We also heard about the adaptability that Covid has required, and the actions taken in response. Helen noted that RFAH went from providing around 20 tele-health visits to 8000 in a matter of a few months.
Second surge is real
Helen also reminded us that the pandemic is not over and that in fact there is a second surge. MN hospitalizations at around 1000 are comparable to where they were on the way to the peak of approximately 1400 in fall 2020. Several factors are different now: on the (very) positive side, vaccines are available; and on the negative side, there is significant burnout and discouragement among those who have worked long and hard at substantial risk to themselves and their families. The “great resignation” is definitely affecting health care staffing.
Helen urged us to protect ourselves and those around us by getting vaccinated, noting that 96 percent of the about 1000 people in MN hospitals are unvaccinated. Regarding testing, she also noted that other countries are doing more to make tests available and that the USA needs to do better in terms of both availability and cost.