An emergency physician at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital in Dover hopes his staff will be able to manage the growth of the coronavirus this winter. Tuscarawas County Hospital sees an average of about 40 COVID-19 patients a day.
According to NPR hospitalization data, the unit has 81% of full adult beds and more than half of them are coronavirus patients.
Dr. Nate Johnson has worked at Union Emergency Hospital for 15 years and heads the stroke unit. When asked about his current level of concern about coronavirus in his hospital, he replied, “On a scale of 0 to 10, I’m at eight. I don’t know what a 10 would be, but I really don’t.” to see him. “
Johnson says the number of people who went to the emergency room in March, when the pandemic began, was lower than normal.
“Our volume has gone from 125 patients a day to 60 or 70 a day,” he said. And of those patients, maybe 30 a day, especially in the first week, they simply came for very mild symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection.
At the time, Johnson said the hospital set up tents outside to test people for the virus, and patients avoid ER.
“Because our biggest examples in the United States were New York City and Washington State, I think most people were really afraid of the disease,” he said. People with these symptoms were afraid to physically enter the emergency department because people were so worried about COVID-19 exposure.
Now, the number of patients entering is higher, but still not at the observed pre-COVID volume.
“We see about 90 patients a day,” Johnson said. “But of these patients, up to half are COVID patients. Either I know they have COVID and they are coming because they are getting worse, or they have symptoms that are most likely related to COVID and they are diagnosed or they are diagnosed and they are very sick. “
Johnson says every aspect of the hospital is full, including the ICU and their discharge units. As a result, ER has become a place where patients need to stay longer.
“People come in urgently for something like a sprained ankle or something, and when they look around, it looks like there are patients everywhere and it looks like we’re the busiest time we’ve ever had.” , he said. “But it’s not a problem with the numbers, it’s a problem with the intensity. Really sick patients need a lot of time to work and then it takes a long time to get to a bed.”
Johnson says another concern is that many nurses and technicians are sick, creating staff shortages. However, he says the employees were firm.
“When this started in March, I thought, ‘We’re going to have a mass exodus of nurses and technicians.’ And the fact that these people show up every day, we are so blessed with some amazing people from our hospital, “Johnson said.
While running out of space is a concern, Johnson believes they will be able to cope with the surge.
Because we are now part of the Cleveland Clinic system, we receive a lot of advice and best practices that are leaking, he said. “And we were really full of resources. We opened beds that had not been used before and gave them personally to those with administrators. It seems we always make room.”
Johnson says he’s still optimistic. In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine that is starting to arrive in Ohio, he says his days don’t seem daunting.
“I felt better in the last two changes and maybe the reason is that I’m starting to see more traditional medical issues,” he said. “We are beginning to see strokes and heart attacks. Not everything is just COVID. It’s amazing how every day I think the next change will be terrible and I show up for the next change and it’s tough, but the ceiling doesn’t come in. “
Johnson says he is grateful for the community’s support.
“When I came here 15 years ago, I really didn’t know this community,” he said. “They really support us and make you feel good when you come in. And they give you a sense of ownership.”