The leaders of the Upper Peninsula’s hospital systems issued a joint statement on Monday to address the surge in coronavirus cases in the region.
The 14 U.P. hospitals have seen a 200-percent increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19 in the past four weeks. The hospital CEO’s say that they are united in having the same policies and interventions to fight the virus…regardless of what may happen to state health department rules that are being challenged in court. The hospitals will all continue to place limits on visitors, and require everyone to wear masks and be screened when entering their facilities.
The hospitals from all corners of the U.P. warn that if the trend continues, they may be unable to quickly provide care to all patients, as things like car accidents, heart attacks, and other illnesses still happen, in addition to the virus.
The letter was signed by: Christine Harff (Regional President, Upper Peninsula Aspirus); Margie Hale (Chief Executive Officer Baraga County Memorial Hospital); Hunter Nostrant (Chief Executive Officer Helen Newberry Joy Hospital & Healthcare Center); Karen Cheeseman (President and CEO Mackinac Straits Health System); Dr. John Reynolds (Interim CEO Munising Memorial Hospital); David Lord (President OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group); Robert Crumb (Chief Executive Officer Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital); Gar Atchison (Chief Executive Officer, UP Health System – Marquette Market President, UP Health System); David Jahn (President and CEO Chippewa County War Memorial Hospital).
The statement in its entirety follows.
In recent weeks, we have seen COVID-19 cases trending upwards in the Upper Peninsula, with nine of our 15 counties categorized as having the highest risk level for the spread of COVID-19. In addition, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Upper Peninsula have surged by nearly 200 percent in the past four weeks, and are the highest the region has seen since the pandemic began.
As the leaders of healthcare systems across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, representing 14 hospitals, we want to make it clear that regardless of state law, executive orders, or local public health directives, hospitals and healthcare systems across the Upper Peninsula are standing as a united front in our policies and interventions in order to fight the spread of COVID-19. Our hospitals and healthcare facilities will continue requiring staff, patients, and visitors to follow public safety protocols, including mask-wearing, screenings upon entry to our facilities, and limitation of visitors.
The recent surge in cases puts our local and regional healthcare systems at risk of a capacity crisis. If the trend continues, doctors and nurses, therapists and custodians, food services and support staff, who are currently facing terrible stress with this COVID-19 surge across the U.P., will suffer additional stress and risk their own infection, illness, and mortality. We must protect these frontline staff in order to address the needs of COVID and non-COVID patients. Car accidents, hunting injuries, heart attacks, strokes and births continue regardless of this virus. If emergency departments and ICUs become overwhelmed with COVID cases, we become unable to provide necessary care as quickly to all patients.
The decision to continue these safety measures is driven by data and guidance from healthcare experts, not politics. Public health draws on data to chart the route from where we are now, to where we need to go. It keeps hospitals and healthcare facilities safe places for patients to receive both routine and emergency care as needed. These measures are also intended to help prevent a catastrophic surge in hospital admissions and COVID-19 deaths, but we need your help and compliance.
We ask that everyone do the public version of these precautions: wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently. We do this to keep our patients, visitors and healthcare workers safe. It is imperative that every U.P. resident join us in taking the necessary steps to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.
Help keep COVID-19 under control by doing what you can to prevent more illness and hospitalization and slow community spread. Support our brave healthcare staff as they continue the fight against COVID-19 for those patients who have the misfortune of becoming ill during the pandemic.
To keep communities informed, healthcare leaders across the region are also in the early stages of creating a joint information center specific to the Upper Peninsula, with those who are best positioned to combine resources and provide updates and information related to COVID-19. We look forward to sharing details of this group once operations are underway.
We are proud Yoopers. Together we can get to where we want to be: keeping this dangerous virus under control and our region healthy.
Comments