Northwest Arkansas hospitals stretching to accommodate covid-19 surge

The numbers of patients hospitalized with covid-19 in intensive care units and on ventilators in Northwest Arkansas hit all-time highs this week as area hospitals worked to meet the increasing demand.

A record 165 covid patients were hospitalized Monday, 127 covid patients were in intensive care units Wednesday and 66 ventilators were in use Thursday, according to Martine Pollard, a spokeswoman for Mercy Hospital who released a joint statement with the region's largest health care providers. The number of patients in ICU and on ventilators includes both those with covid and other medical needs.

By Friday, the numbers had dropped slightly to 141 hospitalized patients, 124 patients in ICU and 65 patients on ventilators, she said. Last week, local hospitals reached the previous all-time high of 140 patients, set in January.

The youngest person hospitalized Friday was under the age of 12. The average age of hospitalized patients was 42, Pollard said.

Statewide, 1,234 patients were hospitalized with covid-19 Friday, 462 patients were in ICU and 254 were on ventilators, according to Danielle McNeill, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Health. The number of available ICU beds in the state dropped to 28, although 1,733 hospital beds and 606 ventilators were available.

Hospitals challenged

Northwest Arkansas hospitals are opening, and addressing the ability to open, additional covid-19 beds in response to the increase in patients, Pollard said.

If additional ICU beds are needed, area hospitals have the beds and equipment available, but staffing those beds will be the real challenge, she said. Creating additional capacity will likely come at the expense of curtailing other health care services, she said.

"With 95% of our hospitalized covid-19 patients being unvaccinated, along with the acuity of those unvaccinated patients, that concern is very real and is placing an extreme burden on our region's health care providers," she said.

The health care system in Arkansas is in danger of being overwhelmed because of the covid-19 cases, along with other conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, according to Dr. Joe Thompson, president and CEO of Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.

"I think we are in for a very rough next six to eight weeks," he said.

Arkansas is a hot zone for the nation with some of the highest levels of covid-19 transmission, Thompson said. He encouraged people to get vaccinated and wear masks in public spaces.

"If you go to a grocery store, a retail space, a movie theater, you should presume the virus is in the enclosed space with you," he said.

Washington Regional Medical System announced Thursday it is moving to phase four of its covid surge response plan.

The move allows the hospital to open and staff a third covid unit by reassigning employees to the areas of greatest need, according to Birch Wright, hospital chief operating officer and administrator. Some non-emergency and elective surgeries have been postponed, and some clinic operations have been paused to obtain the necessary staff for phase four.

Northwest Health is closely monitoring the situation at its five hospitals in Northwest Arkansas, according to spokeswoman Abby Davenport.

"This is a fluid, day-by-day situation, and we will continue to evaluate what may be needed to support our community, patients, providers and staff," she said.

Effective Monday, Mercy locations in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri will begin limiting the number of visitors for hospitalized patients to one per day, down from two, with some exceptions, according to spokeswoman Mardi Taylor. Mercy Hospital in Rogers closed its cafeteria, gift shop and coffee shop to visitors.

Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith had 38 hospitalized covid patients, including 12 in ICU on Friday, Taylor said.

"Our doctors report the vast majority of covid patients in the hospital are unvaccinated," Taylor said. "They also report staff being stretched thin in all departments."

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith has seen a 50% increase in hospitalized cases from a week ago, when there were 24 patients, according to Dr. Kevin Davis, an infectious disease expert at Mercy Fort Smith. The ICU is very close to being full and patients have spent long periods of time in the emergency department waiting for an ICU bed, he said.

"Staffing is tight," Davis said.

Of the 40 covid-19 patients hospitalized at Baptist Health in Fort Smith, 16 were in ICU and six were on ventilators, according to Kim Miller, Baptist Health Western Region president. Only seven were fully vaccinated, she said.

The hospital put its pandemic plan into action for the second time in 16 months in order to increase capacity, Miller said.

"Please keep our health care workers in your thoughts and prayers, and do your part to help stop the spread of covid by getting vaccinated, practicing proper hand hygiene and utilizing masks," she said.

A total of 3,037 new covid-19 cases were reported in Arkansas on Friday, including 269 in Benton County and 230 in Washington County, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.

Vaccination percentages

In Benton County, 42.9% of the population 12 and older was fully vaccinated and 10.2% was partially vaccinated, according to the department. In Washington County, 42.8% of the population was fully vaccinated and 11.5% were partially vaccinated.

Numbers were lower in Crawford County, where 34.8% of the population was fully vaccinated and 9.5% was partially vaccinated; and in Sebastian County, where 35.9% of the population was fully vaccinated and 9.7% was partially vaccinated.

Statewide, 42.5% of the population was fully vaccinated and 12.9% was partially vaccinated, according to the department of health.

Benton County reported seven covid-related deaths this week for a total of 154 since Jan. 1, according to Coroner Daniel Oxford. The average age of those who died of covid in Benton County is 73.4 in 2021 and 67.4 in 2020, he said. The youngest to die so far was a 24-year-old woman from Bentonville.

Oxford said the numbers include residents of 10 surrounding counties and three surrounding states who sought health care in Benton County.

Washington County has seen 11 new covid-related deaths this week, ranging in age from 45 to 87, according to Janell Smith, deputy coroner. The county reported 32 deaths in July, she said.

There were six new covid-related deaths in Sebastian County this week, according to Coroner Kenneth Hobbs. There were 23 deaths in July, he said. The deaths represent more people living outside the county than in it because people come to Fort Smith hospitals seeking care, he said.