Wichita hospitals holding COVID patients in ERs as surge outnumbers available beds
Wichita hospitals are so overloaded with COVID-19 patients that some are being held in emergency rooms while waiting for beds to open up, according to the county’s top public health official.
Dr. Garold Minns, Sedgwick County health officer and dean of the Kansas University Medical School-Wichita, outlined the situation Monday morning during a media briefing with the University of Kansas Health System.
“I just got a text saying the ERs are sitting down there with COVID positive patients just sitting in there on gurneys waiting for a room to open up,” Minns said. “So it is getting to the crisis — I hate using that word — but it’s getting to the crisis level.”
The KDHE reported 21,255 total cases in Sedgwick County, which was a weekend increase of 1,751 new cases. Sedgwick County is on pace to surpass Johnson County as the state’s leader in total cases by the end of the week.
Hospitals are reaching capacity amid a coronavirus surge that has more than doubled current hospitalizations in two weeks. They have had to cut-off referrals from out-of-state hospitals and focus almost exclusively on patients from the Wichita metropolitan area and some patients from rural Kansas, Minns said.
“We have a dedicated area in our ER at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis for patients awaiting test results for COVID-19 or are awaiting bed placement,” said Kevin Strecker, hospital president and chief operating officer for Ascension Via Christi’s Wichita hospitals.
“As of this moment, we have one patient awaiting a bed in one of what is now six COVID-19 dedicated units,” he said in an email Monday.
Strecker said as of 11 a.m. Monday, Via Christi had 123 patients in its COVID-19 units, which have a total capacity of 130.
“However, this is a highly fluid process with patients being admitted and discharged by the hour and should we continue to see increases at the current level it is not sustainable without having to take further measures,” he said.
Part of the reason for the surge is some people have let their guard down, Minns said. Others are in denial.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people just don’t accept this is real,” Minns said. “There’s still mediocre compliance with the mask mandate.”
Minns issued a new public health order last week that restricted the hours at restaurants and bars and cut down on gathering sizes, and the County Commission passed a resolution that would allow the county to enforce the order with penalties. But it’s unclear if that will be enough to contain the spread of the virus, Minns said.
“We’re struggling with what the next intervention will be if we don’t get control of the numbers,” Minns said.
The key to slowing the spread of the virus without issuing additional orders will be getting everyone to come together to fight the virus. He said he understands why some people are confused but it’s time to “hunker down, not get more lax.”
“Let’s face it, they’ve had mixed messages. We don’t need to go into that in any detail, but I can see where some people are confused and don’t know who to believe,” Minns said.
“The solution to this problem is through communicating and convincing people that they all ought to band together and help out,” Minns said. “This is only going to be stopped if we all get on the same team.”
Wichita’s two major hospital systems, Wesley and Ascension Via Christi, are running out of options — and staff — to treat all of the COVID-19 patients who need care, Minns said.
“We’ve been seeing the case numbers double every two weeks here in Wichita for the last number of weeks, and I think people are saying, ‘Where is the ceiling?’
“If the ceiling keeps expanding like it has been for the last four weeks, we do not have enough staff or people in the hospitals to take care of it. So these discussions are going on about, ‘O.K., what empty building are we going to open up if things don’t stabilize.’ We’re not saying they won’t, but we want to be prepared.”
Wichita is not alone. The entire Midwest has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases unlike anything it experienced in the spring or summer. That means everyone is competing for the same limited supply of temporary health care staff available.
“We’re also looking into where we could bring in traveling health care workers to help staff those areas,” Minns said. “Obviously, that’s not easy right now because a lot of places are looking for temp help. So at least discussions are going on. There are no tents being erected today. There’s no open real estate being converted to field hospitals today, but it is certainly being talked about and contingency plans are being developed.”
Minns said he doesn’t think another shutdown of the economy is practical and businesses and individuals should take responsibility for their actions by practicing good hygiene, wearing masks, avoiding gatherings whenever possible and social distancing.
“This is always a tension between businesses and what we think is best for the public health and the economy. ... We’re trying to be as open and considering of all sides on the restrictions we’re putting in,” Minns said.
The Sedgwick County Health Department on Monday reported 231 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized, with 88 of those in intensive care. All approximately 208 total ICU beds were full, and have been for at least two weeks.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Monday’s report was more than double what it was at the start of the month, when the local health department reported 111 hospitalizations on Nov. 2. The number has more than tripled in the last four weeks, from 68 on Oct. 19.
The number of ICU patients with COVID-19 has also more than tripled in four weeks, up from 27.
Statewide, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 10 new deaths, 104 new hospitalizations and 7,234 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend. The increases are since Friday’s report. The number of new cases is a record high.
The 10 patients who died included patients from every adult age group, except for 18-24 and 65-74.
The state’s 104 new hospitalizations included patients from every age group over 9 years old. There were also 21 new ICU admission and seven more patients placed on ventilators.
The Sedgwick County Health Department reports a lower total, at 18,394 cases with an increase of 1,522 new cases since Friday.
Part of the discrepancy is due to the KDHE including probable cases while the local agency only includes confirmed cases. Additionally, there may be delays in reporting and finalizing numbers between the two government agencies.
The Sedgwick County Health Department reported three new deaths and one new coronavirus cluster at a business over the weekend. The business was not identified. All three of the new deaths were connected to clusters.
The KDHE’s statistics show nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Sedgwick County and most of the state are required to test their staff at least twice this week. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mandates staff testing levels based on the positive test rate, with the twice-a-week threshold set at 10%, as long as there is adequate testing in the community.
As of Monday, every county in Kansas was in the red zone for the two-week rate of new cases compared to population. The measure is used as a criteria for recommending that schools close to in-person classes and sports.
In Sedgwick County, the rate was 1,269 new cases per 100,000 people, which is more than eight times the red zone threshold.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 5:08 PM.