The number of COVID-19 patients being treated at The University of Kansas Health System is steady today. 20 are hospitalized, same as yesterday. Five patients are in the ICU, same as yesterday. Two patients are on ventilators, up from one yesterday, though four other patients who are no longer infectious are still on ventilators. 35 other patients are still hospitalized because of COVID-19 but are out of the acute infection phase. That’s up from 32 yesterday. Doctors are hopeful the health system has reached a “good equilibrium” on COVID-19 patients.
Joining the discussion today were Austin Gillard, CEO of the Clay County Medical Center, and Beth Worden, Chief Nursing Officer at McPherson Hospital. They joined our Jodi Schmidt, Executive Director of the Care Collaborative, to tell the story of how the statewide clinically integrated network is helping fight COVID-19 in greater Kansas.
Jodi Schmidt explained the purpose of the Care Collaborative and how it connects resources at an academic medical center like The University of Kansas Health System with hospitals and providers in smaller communities. When the pandemic hit, they were able to share the same constantly evolving protocols for COVID-19 with the whole state. She says it’s made a huge difference, especially in treating patients with heart attacks, strokes and sepsis. She was able to give examples of some of the success stories.
Austin Gillard says COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on Clay Center with 40 positive cases in the community. He says the visitor restrictions they implemented at their hospital were very hard on their close-knit community. But he says it was the right thing to do, and thanks the Care Collaborative and the health system for the continuing advice on patient care in the pandemic. He says while masks are not mandated in the community, most people are taking it seriously and wearing them. He says having the Care Collaborative has helped reduce the death rate from many diseases.
Beth Worden agrees the help from both the Care Collaborative and the KDHE has been vital in saving lives in McPherson during the pandemic. She says in a small community, where masking is not always mandatory, medical professionals must set the example. She says the Care Collaborative has helped with their recent acquisition of the drug remdesivir. She also described the case of an elderly couple, both with COVID-19, and how the Collaborative helped them in nursing home placement after their hospital stay. She says it’s very reassuring to know quick help is always available.
Dana Hawkinson, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control at The University of Kansas Health System, says area haunted houses, some of which are opening soon, have the potential to be super-spreaders of COVID-19, mostly because of the screaming and yelling which will express the virus much further. He says it’s also hard to do contact tracing in that environment. He believes masks and distancing are essential for those who choose to go. He noted that Johnson County commissioners are meeting to discuss the future of the mask wearing mandate, and says the medical evidence is “quite clear” that masks and distancing make a difference. He also updated the current treatments and vaccine trials underway for the virus.
Friday, September 18 at 8:00 a.m. is the next morning media update. We answer media questions and questions from the community. Joining us to help is Amanda Gartner, Director of Quality and Safety and Dr. Heather Harris from Hays Med.
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.
