FAYETTEVILLE -- Hospital officials in Northwest Arkansas say they have enough personal protective equipment, but they are bracing to run low as more people are diagnosed with covid-19 and the country experiences a shortage of equipment.
Dr. Stephen Goss, president of Mercy Clinic Northwest Arkansas, said Wednesday that Mercy has a three-week supply of most personal equipment on hand.
Coronavirus screening is available at:
• UAMS digital screening: www.uamshealth.com/…
• Washington Regional hotline: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, (479) 463-2055
• Washington Regional Coronavirus Screening Center: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 3318 N. North Hills Blvd. in Fayetteville
• Arkansas Children’s Hospital hotline for child health: (800) 743-3616
• Mercy Coronavirus Evaluation Site: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday and Sunday, 2090 S. Promenade Blvd. in Rogers. Patients must call (479) 717-7585 ahead to be screened.
• Community Clinic Siloam Springs Medical: 500 S. Mount Olive St. No. 200 in Siloam Springs. 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Source: NWA-Democrat Gazette
• Community Clinic Rogers Medical: 1233 W. Poplar St. in Rogers. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Elmdale Elementary School Based Health Center: 420 N. West End, Suite B in Springdale. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Community Clinic Fayetteville Medical: 162 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Suite 13-14 in Fayetteville. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Community Clinic Springdale Medical and Pediatrics: 614 E. Emma Ave., Suite 300 in Springdale. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas Family Medicine South: 2523 E. Huntsville Road in Fayetteville. 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• MedExpress Urgent Care: 1160 S. 40th St. in Springdale. 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Patients must call (479) 750-2971 to make an appointment.
• Northwest Medical Center: 601 S.W. Regional Airport Blvd. in Bentonville. Patients may call (479) 306-7507.
• Northwest Medical Center: 2158 Butterfield Coach Road, Suite 100 in Springdale. Patients may call (479) 306-7507.
• Veterans enrolled in Veterans Affairs health care may call (800) 691-8387.
Mercy's drive-through coronavirus evaluation site in Rogers helps Mercy conserve equipment because staff can wear the same face shields and gowns throughout the day, although gloves need to be changed more often, Goss said. Health care workers swab patients' noses to collect specimens to be tested for the virus.
Goss said although Mercy is doing OK on personal protective equipment, no one feels comfortable saying they won't run low.
"It's a real supply chain issue all around," Goss said.
Some items can become scarce quicker than others. Mercy has more gloves than masks, gowns and face shields, for example, he said.
"It's difficult to put a point-in-time number to this constantly moving target," according to Jennifer Cook, spokeswoman for Mercy. "Mercy is working daily to acquire and distribute new personal protective equipment. While we use PPE every day, we also get new shipments daily to restock. We are also working to conserve PPE. In addition, Mercy is working in concert with other hospitals/health systems in Northwest Arkansas, and with the state of Arkansas, to procure additional PPE that we expect may be needed with a possible surge of cases in the region."
Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville conducts inventory of its personal protective equipment several times a day, according to spokeswoman Cynthia Crowder.
"We also conduct regular modeling on the basis of daily reports as to the community spread of covid-19 to forecast future needs. Currently we have an adequate supply of PPE, notably N-95 respirators and standard masks," Crowder said. "This is based on our current models of projected need. At this time, we have no need to call upon strategic supplies held by public health authorities. This could change, however, as demand for Washington Regional's services in response to the covid-19 pandemic warrant."
Northwest Health, which has five hospitals in the region, has sufficient supplies, according to Christina Bull, spokeswoman.
"We are working daily to acquire and increase these resources so we are prepared for the event of a surge in patients. We are preserving and conserving our PPE inventory in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance," Bull said.
Northwest didn't answer questions concerning when it expects to run low on certain equipment.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced earlier this week he allocated $75 million to buy equipment for health care workers and first-responders. He announced Friday during his daily media briefing the state received its first shipment of personal protective equipment.
Washington County had 24 covid-19 cases as of about 4 p.m. Friday, and Benton County had 41 cases, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
Hutchinson said the state had 71 people with covid-19 in the hospital. Fewer than five of the patients are in Northwest Arkansas, according to Meg Mirivel, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Health.
NW News on 04/04/2020