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If you want a real-time gauge of how much impact COVID is having on your community, I can think of no better metric than how well hospitals, and EMS crews, are coping. Here, in central Florida, I am able to monitor several counties, and the volume of COVID calls and admissions remains quite high.
Over the past ten days we've seen the situation in Idaho deteriorate, and yesterday, in Washington State: Gov. Inslee Requests Federal Medical Staffing Resources For COVID Surge, we looked at the impact of COVID on hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.
Alaska, Hawaii, and Montana are among other states also reporting severe stress on their healthcare systems, leading Montana's Governor to deploy National Guard personnel to help shore up 6 hospitals late yesterday.
Gov. Gianforte Sends National Guard to Aid Hospitals
Governor's Office
September 21 2021
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced he is sending Montana National Guardsmen to hospitals across the state to support their COVID-19 response, fulfilling all current formal requests for National Guard resources.
“Joining doctors and nurses on the frontlines, the men and women of the Montana National Guard will provide critical supports to our hospitals as their systems are strained,” Gov. Gianforte said.
“While these Guardsmen will help ease the heavy burden our frontline health workers face,” Gov Gianforte continued, “the best long-term solution to this crisis is for Montanans to talk with their doctor or pharmacist and get vaccinated. While we will not mandate them, vaccines are safe, they work, and they can save your life. Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the virus.”
The 70 Guardsmen sent by the governor will begin assisting hospitals this weekend and next weekend. The Guardsmen will support staffing with non-medical ICU assistance, environmental services, patient data entry, and COVID testing.
Last week, the governor announced that 10 National Guardsmen would begin assisting Billings Clinic in its COVID-19 response on Wednesday, September 15. Seven National Guardsmen also began assisting the state lab last week.
Since last week, the state has received six formal resource requests from hospitals for 70 National Guardsmen. Those requests are being fulfilled as follows:The state is working with and anticipates additional formal requests for Guard resources from several other hospitals. At the direction of the governor, all hospitals have received a COVID-19 response resource guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how to submit a formal request for Guard resources.
- On September 15, St. Peter’s Health in Helena submitted a formal request for 10 Guard. This request will be fulfilled with 10 Guard.
- On September 15, Billings Clinic in Billings submitted a second formal request for 10 additional Guard. This request will be fulfilled with 10 Guard.
- On September 15, St. James Healthcare in Butte submitted a formal request for six Guard. This request will be fulfilled with six Guard.
- On September 17, St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings submitted a formal request for 10 Guard. This request will be fulfilled with 10 Guard.
- On September 17, Missoula County submitted a formal request for 24 Guard. This request will be fulfilled with 24 Guard.
- On September 20, Bozeman Health in Bozeman submitted a formal request for 10 Guard. This request will be fulfilled with 10 Guard.
The governor’s office will continue to provide resources to hospitals to help them secure necessary staffing and proactively and directly collaborate with hospitals to help address needs as they arise.
At the governor’s direction, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services is assisting hospitals in the process of securing full reimbursements from FEMA for their COVID-19 staffing needs.
Like many other states, Montana has recently updated their Crisis Standards of Care for the COVID pandemic (see DPHHS RELEASES UPDATED CRISIS CARE GUIDANCE), details of which you can find in the following (51-page) PDF.
This is a topic that has long been debated in the medical community, and repeatedly covered in this blog (see here, here, here, and here).
Last weekend, in The Realities Of Crisis Standards Of Care, we looked at how that could affect anyone seeking medical care this fall and winter, making this a bad time to have a heart attack, stroke, or get in a car wreck.
If the feared `twindemic' of influenza and COVID materializes this fall and winter, we will likely see a lot more states forced to take extraordinary measures to prop up their healthcare systems in the weeks and months ahead.
Stay tuned.
