FAYETTEVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas hospital leaders say the rising number of covid-19 patients is stretching their staffs thin.
Hospitals in Benton and Washington counties had 99 covid-19 patients as of Tuesday, according to a joint statement from the region's largest health care systems via Martine Pollard, spokeswoman for Mercy Health System. They had 64 patients Oct. 22 and 19 patients Sept. 7. The record high was 113 in July.
Hospitalizations in the state have grown 30%, from 769 to 1,000, in the past two weeks, said Larry Shackelford, president and chief executive officer at Washington Regional Medical Center.
"Both of those trends really concern me," he said Tuesday.
The state had 1,028 patients hospitalized with covid-19 as of Wednesday, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
Shackelford said this surge is different than the one that occurred in the area in the summer.
"If there were patients in Northwest Arkansas that we couldn't take care of, there were other health systems nearby that could. It feels different to me this time that it seems like all areas of Arkansas are seeing a surge at once," he said.
Hospitals have seen influxes of covid-19 patients about two weeks after holiday gatherings throughout the pandemic, and Shackelford noted that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve are weeks apart.
The Health Department has recommended Arkansans avoid people who they don't live with for the holidays.
Northwest Health System, which has medical centers in Springdale and Bentonville, has 24 beds dedicated to covid-19 patients, according to a statement from Christina Bull, spokeswoman for the system.
Washington Regional has three units for covid-19 patients with a total of 54 beds. The hospital opened its third 16-bed unit in early November because it exceeded 38 patients. The hospital still has more than 38 patients this week, Shackelfod said.
Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas' highest number of covid-19 patients at one time was 45 in July. The covid-19 unit had as few as five patients in August, but the number climbed to 40 on Tuesday, said Dr. Stephen Goss, president of Mercy Clinic.
"It's not dire for us right at this moment, but could be in a few days the way things are going," he said Tuesday.
Mercy is rolling out a new program to free up hospital beds, Goss said. Staff will monitor covid-19 patients remotely who are not high-risk and not critically ill, but may need treatment such as oxygen while the patient stays home. Staff can communicate with patients 24/7 via phone, text or video.
Mercy has 56 beds designated for covid-19 patients. The hospital has the space to add beds.
"How we're going to staff them now is becoming more of an issue," Goss said.
Having enough staff is challenging not only because of more patients, but staff members who test positive must quarantine for ten days. Travel nurses have become more scarce as they've taken jobs around the country, Goss said.
Some nurses have left their jobs for health reasons, retirement, going into travel nursing or to stay home with their children, Shackelford said.
Goss and Shackelford both said their hospitals have not stopped elective surgeries or other services. However, if the hospitals become overwhelmed with virus patients, they will move nurses and other staff members from other areas of the hospitals or free-standing clinics to treat covid-19 patients.
"We are recruiting nationally to continue expanding our workforce to keep up with the demand," according to Bull. "Unfortunately, our entire country currently has a nursing shortage. We feel fortunate to live in such a desirable area as we attempt to recruit and bring additional nurses into our area. Elective procedures are currently continuing as scheduled, and we have capacity to admit additional patients to the hospital."
Washington Regional hopes to add 50 to 60 nurses graduating from various nursing schools in December, Shackelford said. Mercy is also looking to recruit nurses, Goss said.
New guidance from the Health Department states that, if necessary, health care workers who test positive for covid-19 but are asymptomatic may come to work if they only treat covid-19 patients. Goss and Shackelford said they may allow that.
How much staffing is needed to treat covid-19 patients depends on how sick the patients are, according to a statement from Washington Regional. A nurse may be assigned to one or two critically ill patients or one to three noncritically ill patients.
Patients may go straight into critical care, improve and be transferred to noncritical care and vice versa, said Natalie Hardin, spokeswoman for Washington Regional.
Benton and Washington counties had a combined total of 2,467 active cases as of Wednesday, according to the Health Department. Active cases are those that have not recovered.
Mercy is urging people who have recovered from the virus to donate plasma, as it can be used to help treat critically ill patients.
"There is adequate supply, but that is definitely a growing issue. Anyone that has had covid that can give plasma -- it is greatly needed," Shackelford said.
Representatives from all three health systems said supplies of personal protective equipment are in good shape. Shackelford, however, said he is not pleased with the increased cost of medical supplies.
Washington Regional paid $4 per 100 gloves before the pandemic and now pays $15 to $18 per 100 gloves, according Hardin. N95 masks that cost 50 cents each are now $2 to $3 each, and isolation gowns have increased from 46 cents to $1.10 each.
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People with covid-19 should contact their primary health care physicians, consider virtual appointments and not wait until they are critically ill to seek treatment.
Sources: Larry Shackelford, president and chief executive officer at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, and Dr. Stephen Goss, president at Mercy Clinic
Alex Golden can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAalexgolden.