A steady number of COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System today. There are 18 patients being treated, down from 19 yesterday. Eight of those patients are in the ICU, up from 7 yesterday. Six of those patients are on ventilators, same as yesterday. Two patients were discharged since yesterday, but new patients were admitted.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran from Kansas was back. He’s chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Also joining was Richard A. Stone, MD, Executive Director of the Veterans Health Administration in Washington, DC. Vince Key, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at The University of Kansas Health System, also joined the show.
Dr. Stone, himself an Army veteran, explained how the VA is working to keep its patients safe during the pandemic. Those measures include limiting visitors, universal masking, fogging rooms with EPA-approved chemicals, high-intensity ultraviolet lights and frequent surface cleaning. He says they are concerned about the low number of stroke and heart attack patients they’ve seen in the past few months, and worry, like other hospitals, that people are avoiding hospital treatment out of fear. He also addressed recent allegations of discrimination in the Kansas City VA hospital, and what his department is doing. He says as someone who’s running the largest healthcare system in the country, he realizes there are inequities in care and is doing all he can to erase those inequities. He says in certain areas like prostate cancer, the VA has already done so. He also says the VA has a good supply of personal protective equipment and can handle a surge in patients.
Senator Moran says suicide and mental health among veterans is one of his committee’s top priorities, and they are working with both the White House and the VA on ways to solve the crisis. As the nation observes Juneteenth, the day when the Emancipation Proclamation became widely known to slaves, Moran says a lot of African Americans throughout our history have returned from service to a country that didn’t appreciate them. He wants to make sure that healthcare is one of those areas where African American veterans are not let down.
Dr. Key has seen a steady increase in patients in his operating room as he works through the backlog of cases. He stressed how safe it is both in the operating room and his clinic. He says on this Juneteenth, the medical system must be vigilant in keeping out systematic racism, not just for veterans, and those in it must be prepared to have open and frank discussions on how to accomplish that.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, is on the road again. This time he traveled by car to Colorado, where he joined the morning briefing live. The first thing that struck him was how many people there were wearing masks, unlike what he saw in Florida last week. He’s observed many stores and restaurants requiring masks. He says there’s evidence that countries where masks have been required have a much lower infection rate. He’ll continue to provide daily updates on how he’s staying safe while traveling.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer of The University of Kansas Health System, says “Wear your darn mask!” He has this question for those who resist wearing a mask: Would you be comfortable if the doctors and nurses preparing to operate on you weren’t wearing masks? Of course not. He says we should feel the same way about wearing masks outside with COVID-19 still in our midst. He also says the health system has enough PPE to handle a surge in patients.
Monday, June 22 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. Ashleigh Adams, RN, Chris Brown, MD, Courtney Ash, RT and Chaplain Kathy Riegelman talk about working with COVID-19 patients on the front lines since March. What do they know now that will help with a second wave?
ATTENTION: media procedure for calling in:
The meeting is available by Zoom, both video and by phone. To join the Zoom Meeting by video, click https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628
Telephone dial-in Participants:
For those without Zoom, call 1-253-215-8782, meeting ID: 782 897 8628.
The feed is also available via TVU grid. The TVU source is UoK_Health and is being made available to all.
Feel free to send questions in advance to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.
