OKC hits next stage of hospital surge plan
Almost 1,000 confirmed and suspected COVID- 19 patients were in Oklahoma hospitals Friday, and t he s i t uat i o n c o ul d g e t a l o t worse soon.
By Christmas Eve, more than 2,700 sickened by the disease will fill hospital beds in the state, the University of Washington's Institute f o r H e a l t h Me t r i c s a n d Evaluation projects.
S o many a r e h o s p i t a l - ized in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area f or the disease that hospitals there were bumped up Thursday to
the next level of the state's new surge plan. The total number of patients with COVID-19 symptoms stood at 307 Thursday.
“T h a t ' s n o t j u s t 3 0 0 patients,” Oklahoma City May o r D a v i d Ho l t s a i d Friday. “It's 300 families that are anxious and worr i e d , a n d t h o u s a n d s o f health care personnel that are meeting their needs.
“Each of us has a choice whether we engage in the risky activities that make t hi s s i t uat i o n worse, o r whether we will take precautions,” Holt said. “I f we wear our masks, keep our distance and wash our hands, we will each significantly reduce the chances that we as individuals will transmit the virus, and we will bring the city's overall numbers down. We are all fatigued by this situation but we have to take it seriously and r emember our simple precautions.
The new surge plan has four tiers. The Oklahoma City area was the first of eight regions t o move t o Tier 2.
What that means is that hospitals in the region will s e nd c e r t a i n pati e nts t o rehab and special care facili ties and possibly put off elective procedures to open up beds. Also, new patients may have to go to a hospital farther from home. And more staff may be brought in to help.
“I t hink i t ' s very, very important that Oklahomans u nder s t a nd t ha t i f y o u r i l l ness i s mild or you go t o t he hospital or you're r ecovering, you may get t r a n s f e r r e d , ” s a i d Da l e Bratzler, the chief COVID officer for the University of Oklahoma. “You could get transferred within the city or outside of the city.
“I think the hospitals are struggling right now, feeli ng l i ke t here's not good c o o r d i n a t i o n , ” h e a l s o said. “Sometimes it's difficult to know where those beds are available. We need additional coordination, a statewide approach.”
The Oklahoma City region moved to Tier 2 when more than 15% of the available beds were f i l l ed by confirmed COVID-19 patients for three days in a row.
The fall surge of the pandemic has resulted in record hospitalizations across the country. Oklahoma hits its record Thursday, with 956 being treated because they have COVID-19 or COVID19 symptoms. Of that total, 313 were in intensive care Thursday.
T h e t o t a l h o s p i t a l - i zed dropped Fri day but remained above 900.
Matt Stacy, the surge plan adviser for the Oklahoma Health Department, said OU Medical Center will have 72 new ICU beds available next week and Oklahoma State University increased its ICU beds at its Tulsa facility by 12 Friday.
S t a c y s a i d t h e Heal t h Department will help hospitals, but will not be involved i n d e c i s i o n s o n w h e r e patients should go.
`I know it's been asked. And I know it's been considered,” he said. “I think it's not something that the state wants t o get i n t he middle of it because you're ultimately interfering with the ability of a doctor to make the best decision for a patient.”
Pat t i Davi s , pr e s i dent of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, s ai d Fri day there i s much work to be done both on the hospital side and the state government side to make the tiered system effective.
“S o m e h o s p i t a l s a r e already working within their own surge plans as the state works to put pieces of the plan into place,” she said.
“H o s p i t a l c a p a c i t y c hanges t hroughout t he day as patients are admitted, discharged or moved to a different level of care. Patients and families should be aware that when capacity is strained in a region, it may be necessary to transfer patients outside of the region,” she also said. “This strain on capacity could result in patients experiencing longer wait times and delays in non-emergent care.
“This is a stark reminder that everyone must do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, avoiding groups, social distancing and washing hands.”
“This is a stark reminder that everyone must do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19, including wearing masks, avoiding groups, social distancing and washing hands.”
Patti Davis, president of the Oklahoma Hospital Association