They also said their hospitals are ready to handle any peak.
“We really feel that we’re prepared,” said Tim Rice, president and chief executive officer at Lakewood Health System in Staples.
Rice, along with Dr. Peter Henry, chief medical officer at Essentia Health in Brainerd; and Kyle Bauer, chief executive officer at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby, spoke to about 200 Zoom webinar participants Thursday afternoon, April 30.
The event was hosted by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce and the Brainerd Dispatch. Matt Kilian, chamber president, moderated the discussion. He opened by saying the lakes area is not a hotspot right now for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, and hospitals have been preparing around the clock for the past month-plus for this pandemic.
The three area hospital leaders praised how central Minnesota health care workers and providers are working together.
“There’s no roadmap for this,” Rice said. “All of us are just working as hard as we can to meet the health needs of our area.”
When asked about the predicted peak, or surge, of cases in this area, Henry said the Minnesota Hospital Association model looks at how long it takes COVID-19 cases to double. Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order has helped to lengthen that time and flatten that curve, he said.
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“There’s no roadmap for this. All of us are just working as hard as we can to meet the health needs of our area.” - Tim Rice, president and chief executive officer at Lakewood Health System in Staples
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While data today indicates an early to mid-August peak, Henry said many factors can change that.
“We know tourism is the lifeblood or our economy in this area,” he said, adding people returning to the area could be a factor.
Bauer agreed there are many variables that factor into projecting a peak in cases.
“We’re prepared now if the peak happens next week,” he said.
Regarding testing for COVID-19, area hospitals are now testing people who have symptoms, but not those who are asymptomatic.
“We feel we have enough testing materials, but again we’re being very careful how we use it at this point,” Rice said, noting Lakewood has not had any COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Henry said testing has come a long way from when it initially was limited and done through the Minnesota Department of Health with a turnaround time of five to seven days. Now many facilities have in-house testing capabilities and more rapid tests.
“We feel the testing platforms we’re using provide high accuracy,” he said.
Essentia Health can send tests to the Mayo Clinic system and has inhouse rapid testing. Essentia also is doing serology testing to detect antibodies to the virus. Henry advised people to look to reputable health care systems for that type of testing, saying many test kits on the market have low sensitivity or accuracy.
Bauer said CRMC has had a couple of hospitalizations, but more often COVID-19 patients recover at home and are put on a watch list with daily followup to monitor symptoms. If their health declines they’ll be advised to go to the hospital.
Henry said if a person does test positive for COVID-19, they must notify every person they’ve had contact with. About 80 percent of people experience relatively mild or minimal symptoms and need no treatment. They’re asked to isolate for 14 days with supporting treatment like Tylenol, good hydration and rest.
The hope is they never have to go to the hospital.
The hospital leaders also believe they have good supplies of personal protective equipment. Bauer said the good job of social distancing done in the state gave health care facilities time to find protective equipment.
Essentia Health had a huge campaign to reuse and repurpose protective equipment, and partnered with CRMC in a “Fishing for Masks” campaign for people to donate masks to the hospitals for patients and visitors.
They cited help from local businesses to make face shields and other equipment. For example, Rice said Sourcewell provided the opportunity to get 3D printers to make shields.
“That kind of collaboration in the community has really helped us with our availability of our PPE in our organization,” he said
If a patient surge were to happen, the area hospitals can increase the number of intensive care unit beds each has.
CRMC typically operates with fewer than 25 beds but could get up to 80 beds if needed, Bauer said. Rice said Lakewood has 25 beds for critical access but could have up to 66 beds.
Hospital leaders stressed that their facilities are still providing care people need now, including through telehealth and videoconferencing, and a safe environment if people have to go to a health care facility.
Emergency and time-sensitive surgeries are still being done.
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“If you are having an acute medical episode, please do not hesitate to come to the hospital.” - Kyle Bauer, chief executive officer at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby
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“If you are having an acute medical episode, please do not hesitate to come to the hospital,” Bauer said, citing data that indicates many Americans are postponing medical needs that can have life-altering consequences.
He cited an example of a patient who had abdominal pain but put off going to the hospital and that person’s appendix burst.
The leaders encouraged people to continue following social distancing guidelines, and reiterated confidence in their facilities being prepared for people.
Referring to tourists, Bauer said: “Those folks are going to be here and we’ll be ready to serve them as well as our local permanent residents.”
In closing, Rice encouraged everybody to have hope.
“I think together we’ll get through this,” he said.
All three leaders thanked the community for its help. Bauer noted the tremendous hardships, but said the steps people are taking really have helped the hospitals prepare for whatever the future brings.
“We are in so much of a better place today than even three weeks ago,” he said.
Henry reiterated: “We’re open for business; it’s safe to get care. Call and get a virtual visit and if needed, come in.”
Nancy Vogt may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
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