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At least 600 staff at Henry Ford Health test positive for COVID-19

Published  April 6, 2020 6:12pm EDT
Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

(FOX 2) - Henry Ford Health System is among several hospitals in Michigan that are inundated with coronavirus patients. As of Monday morning, they’ve had more than 3,500 patients test positive and more than 700 are hospitalized.

They’re having a big demand in their ICU, where most patients are on ventilators.

Henry Ford Health gives update on its Covid-19 situation

We talk with Henry Ford Health System’s COO Bob Riney about how the health system is faring right now in the coronavirus emergency.

“About 30 percent of these patients are critically ill and in need of intensive care unit. We have continued to convert what would be normal med surge units into ICUs. We opened up a mini-hospital, if you will, or a smaller hospital, at Fairlane Medical Center in Dearborn,” Henry Ford Health System’s COO Bob Riney said.

Meanwhile, at least 600 of their staff have also tested positive for the coronavirus.

Henry Ford says beds are tight. But they also have to make sure they have enough staff to care for patients.

“I have decided to close most medical elector centers as well as postpone all non-time sensitive procedures and surgeries. What this has allowed us to do is have a pool of staff that are able to redeploy in other areas where they are highly needed. These are areas where we are doing triaging and screening,” said Henry Ford Dr. Adnan Munkarah.

Henry Ford also says a shortage of personal protective equipment continues to be a daily battle. Isolation gowns are their latest need. They’re also getting creative.

“Our staff at the innovation institute have really worked hard to come up with innovative ideas to repurpose and recycle some of the masks we have and to create new models of personal protective equipment, be it gowns or other things so that we can protect our staff,” said Dr. Munkarah.

When residents think of the more than 30 executive orders put in place by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to reduce exposure and slow the spread of COVID-19, it's to minimize the impact the disease has on Michigan's health care systems. It's unclear just how many will need hospitalizations, but social distancing rules will play a key role in determining when those hospitalizations are needed.

Why social distancing can save lives amid COVID-19 pandemic

Social distancing is not only about preventing the illness itself, but rather, slowing the rate at which people get sick. 

By now most people have heard of the term "flattening the curve" which refers to giving hospitals a chance to help as many COVID-19 patients as they can. Without social distancing rules in place, hospitals like Beaumont and Henry Ford would reach capacity much quicker.

Henry Ford also responded to the Beaumont CEOs call for hospitals across the state to accurately share how many COVID-19 patients they have.

Henry Ford says they report their numbers every day and it is important others do the same.

“If we continue to see volume and we hit an additional surge this week or next week we are going to have to have awareness on a real-time basis of what beds are available anywhere and, in particular, what ICU beds are available,” Riney said.