Physicians from four of Oklahoma City’s major health systems held a press conference Tuesday, saying the group of hospitals is out of ICU and inpatient beds and can’t care for patients in their regular capacity.
Dr. Julie Watson, senior vice president and chief medical officer at INTEGRIS Health, led the press conference and said healthcare workers are experiencing staffing shortages that impact their everyday lives. She said hospitals look and feel like a war zone.
“This has nearly crippled our already limited staff. We are, at times, seeing more patients to one nurse or one doctor than we would have ever designed,” Watson said. “We also have supply chain shortages. Some days, we don't have syringes or saline or chest tube setups.”
The four major Oklahoma health systems released a press release Tuesday morning that outlined how many healthcare workers are struggling to work due to schools shutting down and childcare shortages. The press release said all the health systems had 107 patients in emergency rooms waiting for an open bed.
Watson also urged everybody to get vaccinated, saying INTEGRIS had no ICU COVID-19 positive patients who were vaccinated last week.
Oklahoma moved up to 13th in the nation for most COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people with a daily average of 10,642 cases. Last week, 25 percent of tests were positive at OU according to the COVID-19 dashboard, which also said OU had 134 positive cases. On Jan. 12, the state saw 50,294 new COVID-19 cases, with Cleveland County having 5,602 cases.
OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler and Watson urged people to get vaccinated and receive their booster shots if eligible. Bratzler said to “think about the people around you” and practice masking along with vaccinating to protect everyone. He also asked people to stay home if they test positive or have symptoms.
Dr. Chad Michael Smith, chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City, spoke about the packed emergency rooms, asking people with minor illnesses or injuries to not clog the emergency room, saying it exacerbates healthcare workers.
“They’re worn out, but they continue to show up every day,” Smith said of hospital staff, nurses and doctors. “We felt called to serve and care for others. … This surge seems to be particularly challenging on all of our nurses and caregivers, especially those in the emergency department.”
The press release also said people are coming to the emergency room to receive a COVID-19 test, but the physicians asked people to seek those elsewhere since they are there to serve severely sick people.
The physicians expressed how the omicron variant is highly contagious and very aggressive. Dr. Kersey Winfree, chief medical officer at SSM Health St. Anthony, said he and his colleagues were sounding an alarm to Oklahoma. He said the variant is spreading rapidly and disrupting communities and healthcare workforce with infections among employees and their families.
Watson said they will not deploy the national guard at this time, but physicians are regularly meeting with state officials to discuss available state and federal resources.
“What we’re seeing … unfortunately, more frequently than not, we’re not able to accept a number of transfers because we just don’t have the capacity to see those extra patients,” Smith said. “We’re challenged with trying to meet all the needs and demands of our community.”
Cameron Mantor, acting chief medical officer and pediatric surgeon at OU Health, said OU Health is seeing an increase in positive cases for children, saying they are getting sick at school and home since there is no mask mandate in the majority of Oklahoma public schools.
Last week, some Oklahoma schools — including eight Norman public schools — temporarily went virtual to combat the rising cases and staff shortages. Oklahoma City public schools all went virtual as well last week while holding athletic and other activities.
Following the press conference, House Minority Leader Emily Virgin (D-Norman) released a statement calling on Gov. Kevin Stitt to use his platform to advocate for vaccines and boosters. Virgin also thanked Oklahoma healthcare workers, calling them heroic.
“Health care workers have been on the front line of this pandemic since day one. Their dedication to serving their communities in this difficult time is nothing short of heroism,” Virgin said. “When the people of Oklahoma elected Gov. Kevin Stitt, they gave him a platform to lead Oklahoma through good times and bad.”
