It's time to support our healthcare workers

 

December 16, 2020



Remember back in March, April and May when so much of Oklahoma was shut down in response to the pandemic? Students were completing classes online, some parents were working from home, sports and school activities were shut down. Options for entertainment were limited.

During that time, we went out of our way to express our concern and support for people working the front lines: medical personnel, EMTs, nursing home staff members. The irony was that while hospitals in the large metro areas were struggling, here in rural areas of Oklahoma and Kansas we had very few cases of Covid-19.

Now rural counties are experiencing rising cases of the virus. Last Wednesday night I attended a meeting of the Alva Hospital Authority. At that meeting, we were made aware that Share Medical Center in Alva has several Covid patients. Those patients require extra precautions by staff like wearing masks, gloves and gowns. The hospital is also experiencing large numbers of people seeking testing for the coronavirus. The staff is getting tired.

The ER is seeing patients and determining if they can go home, need to be hospitalized here or sent to a larger facility for a higher level of care. And finding those beds in other facilities is difficult. On Wednesday they were holding a patient who needed to be transferred but they had yet to find a bed.

Share CEO Kandice Allen, who is also a registered nurse, is urging the community to take defensive measures to stop community spread such as wearing facemasks, practicing social distancing, washing hands and avoiding large gatherings. This time, the virus is here in our community, and healthcare workers need our help and support.

Local nursing homes are also experiencing some positive test results among residents and staff members. They need the help and support of the community to stop the spread. The residents are unable to have visits from family due to the number of people in the community who have active cases of Covid and the numbers in quarantine due to exposure.

This is also a good time for showing renewed support of our healthcare workers, hospital staff members, medical personnel and nursing home staff members. Perhaps while students are on Christmas break, they can work on some projects to show their support and encouragement. Check with local medical facilities and nursing homes for ideas. Maybe you can arrange for some pizzas, sandwiches or cookies to be sent in for the staff. Perhaps you can send greeting cards or make some signs. We had plenty of ideas back in the spring. Let’s start getting creative again!

Covid Update

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) showed the number of active Covid cases in Oklahoma was 33,009.

Alfalfa County has had 802 positive cases, two deaths and 477 recovered for a total of 323 active cases. That’s incredibly high, but the number is probably affected by the 273 positive cases at James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena.

Woods County is listed with 716 total cases, three deaths, and 565 recovered for 148 active cases. However, Bill Johnson Correctional Center in Alva has zero inmate cases.

In other area counties, Grant County has 54 active cases with a total of five deaths. Harper County has 41 active with three deaths. Major County has 59 active with four deaths. Woodward County has 169 active with eight deaths.

In Woods County, Alva has had 647 positive cases, three deaths and 506 recovered for a total of 138 active cases as of Tuesday. Dacoma has one active case, Waynoka has seven. Freedom is shown with zero active cases.

In Alfalfa County, the highest number of active cases is in Helena (location of James Crabtree Correctional) with 303 active cases. Cherokee has 12 active cases. Carmen and Burlington each have one. Jet has two active cases, and Goltry has none.

You can see more information at https://oklahoma.gov/covid19.html. Check the Oklahoma Department of Corrections website for numbers of inmates testing positive at in prisons.

According to information from the OSDH, in the northwest region of Oklahoma, which covers a large number of counties, 42 percent of beds are being used for Covid patients and 83.3 percent of ICU beds.

 

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