‘COVID nightmare’: Topeka hospital boarding patients in hallways, waiting rooms
A Topeka hospital is so full that its hallways and waiting rooms have been converted into overflow spaces for patients.
Stormont Vail Health reported a record 91 patients being treated for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
In a daily update from the hospital, CEO Robert Kenagy pleaded with the public to help slow the spread of the virus.
“Our health care team members need the help of everyone — and it starts with recognition that we are in a full-blown pandemic crisis and all of us set aside whatever it is that prompts us to act dangerously and commit to responsible behaviors,” he wrote. “They aren’t difficult. Just do it! Wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, avoid crowds and stay home when you can. Now.”
The emergency department has created three overflow spaces in waiting rooms and hallways to care for patients.
“We are ‘boarding’ those patients in the Emergency Department until a bed opens in the inpatient environment,” Kenagy said.
On Monday night, a medical unit was converted into a COVID-19 unit. Kenagy said that was a difficult task because it requires extra staff and supplies including PPE.
Currently, 172 employees are on leave because they have tested positive for the virus or have been exposed.
“We have hope that with vaccines on the horizon, we can eventually stop living this COVID-19 nightmare,” Kenagy said. “But the next few weeks and months promise to be a continuation if people don’t wake up, realize that we are in a crisis and respond appropriately.”
Shawnee County reported 141 new cases on Tuesday. The county said there were 121 current hospitalizations and that the seven-day positive test rate was 18.6%. A total of 5,658 cases have been recorded including 95 deaths.
The University of Kansas Health System also reported a record number of coronavirus patients on Tuesday with 84.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 5:57 PM with the headline "‘COVID nightmare’: Topeka hospital boarding patients in hallways, waiting rooms."
