Modesto hospitals see coronavirus patients, prepare for more as pandemic continues
Modesto hospitals are caring for people sickened by coronavirus as cases steadily climb in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
Memorial Medical Center and Doctors Medical Center may be tested like never before if the community is stricken hard by the pandemic that’s killed more than 15,000 people worldwide.
Stanislaus County’s public health division has confirmed 11 cases of COVID-19, including five people hospitalized, said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer.
Vaishampayan said in an online broadcast Monday that six cases are classified as community transmission. Surveillance at hospital emergency departments provides additional evidence the COVID-19 illness is spreading in the community. The health officer said an increase in people with respiratory illness consistent with coronavirus — fever, cough and shortness of breath — has occurred in the past few days.
Barbara Eusebio, chief nurse executive for Memorial Medical Center, said in an interview Tuesday she could not reveal how many patients diagnosed with coronavirus are in the hospital.
“Fortunately, we do not have a high volume,” she said, adding no patients were in critical condition.
Memorial has a surge tent outside the “ED” to separate people who have upper respiratory symptoms from patients with other medical needs. Most of those patients don’t have COVID-19, Eusebio said.
Nurses staffing the tent ask people about symptoms such as sore throat and fever, and if they have traveled recently or have been exposed to someone possibly infected with the virus. Those with upper respiratory symptoms are masked in the triage tent and placed in an isolated area in the emergency department, Eusebio said.
Sutter Health preparing hospitals
Memorial’s parent organization, Sutter Health, is well aware of hospitals overrun with coronavirus patients in New York and other countries like Italy, and has worked to prepare its hospitals in the Central Valley and Bay Area for a possible onslaught of cases.
Memorial has postponed elective surgeries that could be safely delayed. That has served to drop the daily patient count at Memorial to around 200, down from 350, Eusebio said.
Eusebio said an additional 58 beds were equipped with critical care monitors and intravenous pumps in surgical recovery rooms if needed for coronavirus patients. Another 50 beds were added if needed, giving the hospital more than 100 extra beds to care for patients sickened by outbreaks.
Staff members who normally work in other sections of the hospital are being trained to care for coronavirus patients. The hospital is well stocked with ventilators but has ordered several more, the nursing director said.
“Hopefully, all that work will be for naught,” Eusebio said. “But we are prepared to take care of these patients if needed.”
Gino Patrizio, chief executive officer of Memorial, said during Monday’s broadcast on the StanEmergency Facebook page that Modesto hospitals, like those in other states and countries marred by the pandemic, are facing a shortage of personal protective equipment such as N95 face masks. Resources are being stressed like never before, he said.
Part of the reason for postponing elective surgeries at Memorial is conserving protective equipment for a battle with coronavirus, Eusebio said.
Memorial Medical Center receiving PPE donations
Memorial currently has what it needs to protect patients, family members and staff against viral infection inside the hospital, thanks to community donations of personal protective equipment (PPE). Other industries that use masks and respirator hoods, as well as painting contractors and stores, have donated protective gear that can be repurposed for hospitals.
“Everyday from Sutter and the county we get an allocation of (PPE) supplies depending on the number of patients,” Eusebio said Tuesday. “I’m seeing a large amount allocated this morning.”
There is no need for rationing of masks thus far and staff are using them for the time recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the director said.
Asked if supplies will last in an environment of snowballing cases, the nursing director said: “I don’t think any of us really know what will happen.”
Sutter continues to seek donation of supplies.
Eusebio said local residents can feel confident the hospital is prepared. “They definitely will have a hospital bed if they need one. I have no doubt we can take care of them,” Eusebio said.
Most people infected with coronavirus have mild symptoms and will recover at home. But the illness affecting more than 50 countries around the globe has a high hospital rate among older people and those with underlying conditions, and that threatens to overrun hospitals.
Health officials are hoping the more suburban layout and lower housing densities of Modesto and other cities in Stanislaus County is less conducive to the spread of COVID-19. Bay Area counties with denser housing and a steady circulation of international travel have more than 900 cases and the number grows everyday.
San Joaquin town hall with Josh Harder
Dr. Maggie Park, health officer for San Joaquin County, said during an online town hall Monday with Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, that coronavirus patients are impacting hospitals in that county. But the county’s seven hospitals have not had to draw on a backup supply of hospital beds and ventilators, Park said.
The county, including Stockton, Tracy, Manteca, Escalon and Ripon, has reported 60 confirmed cases and two deaths.
The Kaiser Permanente hospital in Modesto and Doctors Medical Center may receive some patients from the nearby county; in particular, Doctors can provide a higher level of care for patients with life-threatening illness.
“We have accepted patients at Doctors Medical Center from outside the county because of our ability to care for complex cases,” Chief Executive Officer Warren Kirk said in an email. “We have had one confirmed COVID-19 patient. That person recovered and was discharged home. We have not had any coronavirus patients in our intensive care unit.”
Doctors has an adequate supply of protective equipment such as N95 masks, gowns and filtration systems, Kirk said. But the hospital is working to conserve the supplies in case there is a surge of coronavirus patients.
In a corporate statement, Kaiser Permanente said its employees and physicians are prepared and equipped to safely care for patients infected with coronavirus, though protesting nurses in Kaiser’s network have said they don’t have safety equipment to protect them.
Citing patient privacy, Kaiser said it’s not providing information about suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients at its facilities.
Eusebio said she’s impressed with support from the community and is “awestruck” by staff members at Memorial, who are willing to crosstrain and volunteer for being on-call during the crisis.
“From a nursing perspective, this is at the heart of what we do,” Eusebio said. “We communicate with staff around the clock and our senior leadership rounds day and night to alleviate fears.”
Sutter Health is accepting donations of N95 masks, repirator hoods, procedure masks, protective gowns, goggles, painters smocks and other gear. To make a donation, contact a local Sutter affiliate or call (844) 987-6099. A Sutter representative will provide details for delivery.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 2:45 PM.
