Indiana’s hospitals continue to struggle, amid the COVID-19 surge. The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state surpassed 3,000 for the first time this week.
Sarah Paturalski is the vice president of nursing and clinical services at Beacon Health System. “We are averaging at least one death per day at Beacon Health System, and this is more than we have ever experienced or care to, quite frankly,” she said during state officials’ COVID-19 briefing Wednesday. “We’ve taken a vow for no one to die alone, and so this means, at times, we’re teaching family members to don and doff so they can slip into the room for a very quick minute and say goodbye. And sometimes, this means that we are their family members and we are holding their hands as they pass, when just moments before, we tried to save them. It’s very, very hard for staff.”
Paturalski was one of three hospital representatives who spoke during Wednesday’s press conference. Schneck Medical Center CEO Dr. Eric Fish noted that as more staff is directed to critical care, routine medical procedures have to be delayed. “I’d say just imagine if your loved one had a preventative screening colonoscopy scheduled, and that screening was postponed,” Fish said. “What if your loved one had a growing tumor that could not be discovered for two to three months?”
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said the surge doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “I can’t predict how much higher it will go, but I can tell you that we’re on an exponential growth curve right now, and we do not expect this to turn around quickly,” she noted. “In the next several weeks, we will continue to see cases climb, individuals hospitalized, and unfortunately, more deaths.”
Box said state officials have put a number of measures in place to slow the spread of the virus, but they need Hoosiers to do the right things, as well as support from local leaders.
Governor Holcomb said Wednesday that at this point, he doesn’t plan to make any changes to the new restrictions that took effect this week. “I will be, as always, looking at Dr. Box and her team to bring forward, on a hourly, daily basis, any new thoughts or ideas,” Holcomb added. He said the Indiana Finance Authority is finalizing a program to distribute $20 million in CARES Act funding to local governments for their education and enforcement efforts.
