COVID-19 hampers hospital’s services
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, August 31st, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — Providence St. Mary Medical Center announced Monday that the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, which it says are largely due to unvaccinated individuals, is compromising timely access to a variety of local health care services. This is coming in the form of long wait times, delays of some non-emergency surgeries and a higher likelihood of patients being transported to other hospitals in search of available beds.
The hospital and its clinics report they are also facing staffing challenges due to caregivers becoming ill, struggling to secure childcare, having sick family members, or resigning due to the exhaustion created by the pandemic. A growing concern is that cases will continue to rise with the Walla Walla County Fair and Frontier Days and the start of school. Historically, according to the hospital, cases have increased after large community events.
“If you are planning to go to the fair, please wear a mask, wash your hands frequently and take precautions,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christopher Hall said. “The Delta variant is more contagious than the flu, smallpox or even Ebola. Research shows that one person infected with the delta variant infects eight to nine other people. If you are not vaccinated, now is definitely the time to get it done.”
Providence St. Mary Medical Center reports that 30 to 40 percent of its hospitalized patients have COVID-19, with the vast majority being unvaccinated. Last week, the hospital designated an entire wing for treatment and activated its critical staffing plan, which allows the hospital to pull staff from other services in the hospital and redeploy them to impatient care as needed.
The hospital emergency department, which prior to the pandemic was averaging 78 patients a day, now usually has more than 100, with the severity of the patients’ conditions unusually high. Providence Urgent Care is also at capacity. Wait times are significant in both locations, particularly in the Emergency Department. It is not unusual for a wait to exceed six hours.
