The University of Kansas Health System is seeing a steady number of COVID-19 patients. 13 patients are being treated for the virus, same as yesterday. At one point in the past 24 hours, the number dropped to 10, but three new admissions brought the number back up. All patients have been moved to one unit, so there are none in the ICU, though 2 COVID-19 patients remain on ventilators.
Danielle Johnson, Ph.D., Psychology and Sierra Stites, Master of Public Health Student, joined the panel to talk about the emotional and mental toll on the population that is also most vulnerable to COVID-19. There is also an update to the health system visitation policy.
Chris Ruder, Chief Operating Officer, Kansas City Division, The University of Kansas Health System, announced an update to the health system’s visitor policy. Each patient will now be allowed one visitor per day. He says the restriction was first put into place to keep patients and staff safe, and to preserve personal protective equipment. He says the health system knows how vital the support of loved ones is to patients and now has enough safety protocols in place to allow limited visitors. He says leadership teams will be monitoring the effects of the new policy.
Dr. Johnson, who works with children, says the COVID-19 crisis has prompted an unprecedented number of calls to suicide hotlines and an increased number of suicide attempts by kids. She says during the pandemic, parents need to have honest and age appropriate conversations with their kids as often as possible. She explains that the social isolation, and sometimes limited resources among poorer members of society, can put an extra strain on families. She notes that kids can see parents struggling even when
they say they aren’t, and it’s vital for parents to let the children know that they’ll all get through this together. She tells parents that during this time of social isolation, it’s OK to give in to more screen time, and parents need to look for creative but safe ways for their kids to interact with friends. She also says social isolation for seniors is worse than ever, and we must take care of our older relatives just as much as our children, while making sure to take care of ourselves.
Sierra Stites has spent time in smaller communities in Kansas helping the KDHE as a case investigator. Part of her job is to help those who have tested positive, and their families, to cope. She has seen the effects of social isolation firsthand, and the negative effects it causes. She says state and local health departments are the best resources for help and information for residents in smaller communities. As the biracial daughter of Dr. Stites, she says she has seen COVID-19 from a unique perspective. She says for a population that’s traditionally had a hard time being seen and heard, the pandemic has compounded the problem.
Steve Stites, MD, chief medical officer at the health system, says each of us thinks the world should look like it does through our own eyes when we should try to see it through the eyes of others. He says whether protesting on the Plaza or simply coping with COVID-19 in our daily lives, we all have a unique point of view that needs to be acknowledged. Society has changed because of the pandemic, he says, and he hopes people’s thoughts of exclusion are changing as well.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, took on the question of letting the kids go to the neighborhood pool when it opens. He says the danger isn’t in the water itself, but in not keeping proper social distancing both in and around the pool. He also talked about ways to make it safe for kids to visit their friends and outside family members. He also answered the question from a viewer about why they can’t simply go visit anyone they want as long as they wear a mask.
Monday, June 8 at 8:00 a.m. is the next daily briefing call. David Wild, MD, Vice President of Performance Improvement joins Dr. Hawkinson and Dr. Stites to talk about rising numbers of positive cases in the community and fewer hospital admissions. What does that mean and what does the modeling show?
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
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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.
