An emergency physician at Cleveland Clinical Union Hospital in Dover expects his staff to be able to manage the coronavirus wave this winter. The Tuscarawas County Hospital treats an average of about 40 COVID-19 patients a day.
According to NPR hospitalization data, the facility has 81% of full adult hospital beds and more than half are coronavirus patients.
Dr. Nate Johnson has worked at Union Hospital ER for 15 years and heads the stroke unit. When asked about his current level of concern for coronavirus at his hospital, he replied, “On a scale of 0-10, I’m at eight. I don’t know what a 10 would be, but I really don’t.” I’ll see “.
Johnson says the number of people who went to the emergency room in March, when the pandemic began, was lower than normal.
“Our volumes went from 125 patients a day to 60 or 70 a day,” he said. “And of those patients, maybe 30 a day, especially that first week, they just had very mild upper respiratory tract infection symptoms.”
At the time, Johnson said the hospital set up tents outside to test the virus on people and that patients avoided the emergency room.
“Because our most important examples in the United States were New York City and Washington State, I think most people were afraid of the disease,” he said. “People with these symptoms were afraid to physically enter the emergency department because people were very worried about being exposed to COVID-19.”
Now, the number of patients entering is higher, but it is not yet in the pre-COVID volume.
“We’re seeing about 90 patients a day,” Johnson said. “But of these patients, up to half are COVID-type patients. They either know they have COVID and come in because they get worse, or they have symptoms that are probably COVID-related and are being diagnosed or are being diagnosed and are very sick. “
Johnson says all aspects of the hospital are full, including the ICU and its discharge units. As a result, the emergency room has become a place where patients have to stay longer.
“People come into the emergency room for something like an ankle sprain or something, and when they look around it seems like there are patients everywhere and it seems like we’re the most active time we’ve ever had,” he said. “But it’s not a numbers issue, it’s an intensity issue. They’re really sick patients who take a long time to work and then take a long time to get to bed.”
Johnson says another concern is that many nurses and technicians are sick, leading to staff shortages. He says employees have been firm, though.
“When this started in March, I thought,‘ We had a massive exodus of nurses and technicians. ’And the fact that these people show up every day, we’re very blessed with some fantastic people in our hospital,” Johnson said.
While running out of space is a concern, Johnson believes they will be able to cope with the climb.
“Because we are now part of the Cleveland Clinic system, we receive a lot of advice and good practices that escape,” he said. “And we’ve been really ingenious. We’ve opened beds that hadn’t been used before and we’ve staffed administrators. It always seems like we’re making room.”
Johnson says he still has optimism. In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine starting to arrive in Ohio, he says his days don’t seem daunting.
“I’ve felt better about the latest couple changes, and maybe the reason is that I’m starting to see more traditional medical issues,” she said. “We’re starting to see strokes and heart attacks appear. It’s not all just COVID. It’s amazing how every day I think the next turn will be terrible, and I show up for the next turn and it’s hard, but the roof doesn’t fall.”
Johnson says he appreciates the support of the community.
“When I came here 15 years ago, I didn’t really know this community,” he said. “They really support us, and it really makes you feel good when you walk in. And it gives you a sense of ownership.”