Ohio Nursing Association November 30, 2020 Update...

Dr. Andy Thomas describes ICU capacity as “quite serious” as Ohio sees a 200% increase of hospitalizations in November, with the state reaching a new record of 5,000 current hospitalizations.

Plus, the governor had several nurses join the conference, with nurse manager Stacey Morris pleading, “…Patients deteriorate quickly…. This isn’t a hoax. This isn’t blown out of proportion. We live this every day.” Nurse Dara Pence said,” We can only be strong for so long. We will have PTSD and we will be struggling with this. The community coming together is what will get us through. We are no longer the frontlines, we are the last line of defense. The new frontline is the community.”

More summary information from the November 30, 2020 COVID-19 update with Governor DeWine:

• Ohio has seen 421,063 total cases, 6,429 deaths, 26,864 hospitalizations and 4,682 ICU admissions. 7% of the cases are healthcare workers (29,877).

• 21-day: case average – 7,909, deaths – 43, hospitalizations – 296 and ICU admissions – 30

• The governor started today with a call with Ohio hospitals. There are serious concerns with ICUs.

• Another discussion was had with health departments and their serious concern with spread in every county.

• DeWine spoke with the Vice President and other governors. Dr. Fauci was on the call and he referred to the vaccine has an extraordinary occurrence that this vaccine seems almost ready to go, subject to final approval. Shipment could come as early as December 15th (Pfizer) AND December 22nd (Moderna). ON Thursday, the Governor will have a full report on vaccine roll out.

• Bad news: Ohio Dept of Corrections is mourning the death of two employees because of COVID-19: Steven Cook and Mark Jones.

• Dr. Andy Thomas provided a report on the call with Ohio hospitals this morning. Ohio crossed another threshold in numbers: 5k inpatients with COVID-19 for the first time ever. 200% increase since November 1st (1.7k inpatients with COVID-19 on Nov 1). Rural areas are being hit particularly hard. ICU capacity is an even more of a concern, with hospitals expressing even more concerns on how to care for so many ICU patients. 1 out of 3 patients on a ventilator are on COVID-19 and if we continue to see numbers rise, it will crowd out other people who need care. For example, hospitals are pushing surgeries where people will need care in the ICU afterward, so therefore those people are being crowded out of the hospitals. It is quite serious.

• The state has developed a new program to improve indoor air quality for nursing homes, assisted living center and adult day care centers. Eligible recipients can receive up to $15k to improve air quality. Visit the BWC website to apply.

• The governor asks employees and employers to continue to work from home. If you have returned to work, take a hard look to see if it is possible to work remote again. With hospital numbers increasing, it is important we do what we can. The state is doing it with state employees. State employees return date was January 4th, but now there is a hold on that.

• Stacey Morris, a nurse manager at Akron General Medical Center, provided her account what she is seeing day to day. the numbers have risen so much and so drastically, triaging and making sure there is enough space for patients. These patients deteriorate quickly. COVID-19 is unpredictable…we don’t know how someone is going to respond. We have had people in their 30’s and 40’s with no high risk medical history whose bodies are not handling this virus well. There is no visitation, so the caregivers to their best to bring an iPad in so patients can communicate with their loved ones. It is hard on caregivers, being part of those hard conversations or when families have to say goodbye. It is more common for people needing ICU than not. Caregivers lean on each other a lot, and emotionally carry each other through this. But there are so many caregivers…you can create space, but there are not hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. You can’t snap your fingers and make caregivers appear. We need the help of the people to fight this to continue to give the care we are giving. This isn’t a hoax, this isn’t blown out of proportion. We live this every day. While we have seen waves, this is the biggest wave we have seen. We need to come together to slow this, but we can’t do that without everyone masking, distancing, doing all the things we are supposed to do.

• Nurse Dara Pence from Riverside Hospital also joined. This is completely unpredictable and we don’t know the long-term effects on patients. This doesn’t hold any biases and affects patients from all backgrounds. Patients were in isolation for 30-40 days alone, relying on zoom to communicate with family. Nurses are the only personal contact and nurses are relied on to bridge the gap so they patients and families can communicate with each other virtually. I wish people could see what we see every day, but then again, I don’t want people to have to witness what nurses have to see every day. We can only be strong for so long. We will have PTSD and we will be struggling with this. The community coming together is what will get us through. We are no longer the frontlines, we are the last line of defense. The front line is the community.

• Nurse Jamie Giere with Upper Valley Medical Center echoed what the other nurses said. More patients and patients deteriorating in such a short amount of time. Patients are sicker and don’t necessarily have the comorbidities. The COVID-19 population seems to be getting younger and younger. The public doesn’t understand the fear and heartbreak that we see every day…. The fear on patients’ faces. We are exhausted. Please take this seriously.

• Nurse Jenna Watkins with Genacross Lutheran Services joined the conference. Staff are overworked and spread very thin. We have turned into an extended family for the nursing home residents. There is a link between community spread and spread in the nursing homes. As caregivers, we work so hard to care for residents and be there for each other. Your actions have consequences that can have a chain reaction right into the facility. These lives are worth protecting. We need to take the recommendations seriously.

#InThisTogetherOhio
Thank you Governor DeWine for including nurses' stories in your pressers.