As cases of the coronavirus continue to climb in Texas and around the country, Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a press conference last Friday to assure Texans there are enough hospital beds across the state, and state leaders are continuing to work on plans to expand availability.

According to Abbott, out of the 47,585 hospital beds across the state, 19,696—or 41 percent—are still available, with 2,107 ICU beds open and 8,741 ventilators free. “We are fully prepared for the hospital needs of Texans as we continue to respond to the coronavirus in the state of Texas.” Abbott said. “ Our capacity should prevent us from facing the situation that New York is having to deal with today,”

To increase capacity, Abbott issued an executive order asking hospitals to postpone nonessential or elective procedures, increasing the total amount of available beds and staff by 142 percent. Abbott’s order has waived restrictions and regulations to increase staffing. Hospitals are now permitted to employ out-of-state doctors, nurses, and recently retired medical professionals. Abbott also lifted a previous policy, and is now allowing hospitals to double up occupancy and host up to two patients per room, if space allows. Furthermore, Abbott mentioned hospitals could utilize additional areas such as operating rooms and patient recovery rooms, which include ventilators normally intended for surgeries.

Texas has already begun construction on FMSs, or federal medical stations. Convention centers in metropolitan areas have already been identified as FMS sites. In Dallas/ Fort Worth, 250 beds are being installed in the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center, 250 beds are set up in the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, and Houston is building an FMS in the NRG Stadium.

Medical Staffing Concerns

As the state prepares for a peak that could still be weeks away, healthcare workers are weighing the risk of COVID-19 exposure before each shift, constantly aware that they are not immune to contracting the very disease they are combating.

Emergency legislation passed by Congress in March protected paid time off for employees infected with COVID-19. Effective last week, the act requires businesses with fewer than 500 employees to give 10 days of paid leave to a person who is or may be sick with the coronavirus, caring for someone who is, or is unable to find childcare. Employers will be reimbursed with tax credits.

However, the legislation allows for two notable exemptions: emergency responders and health care providers. Experts say the exemption is meant to avoid depleting the workforce on the front lines of the pandemic, as hospitals with COVID-19 patients have had to send home dozens of healthcare workers, leaving them shorthanded. Critics, though, say it only puts nurses and doctors, who have already complained about their lack of protective equipment, more at risk of getting ill or spreading the respiratory virus to other patients. A lack of employer protection only further complicates the staffing challenges. Preexisting staffing shortages will be

Preexisting staffing shortages will be further underscored if droves of healthcare workers are sidelined with COVID-19. In Spain, about 14 percent of those infected were doctors or nurses. In Italy, nearly one in every 10 people infected were medical professionals.

Rural hospitals pose unique staffing challenges. Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH) has also expressed concern over medical staff who are removed from hospitals due to self-quarantine or illness. “Three nurses out from a nursing staff of nine or 10 nurses will cripple a small hospital, whereas three nurses out from an urban hospital has virtually no impact on operations.”

Hemphill County COVID-19 Preparedness

Hemphill County Hospital employs five full-time physicians, two part-time physicians, one nurse practitioner, one physician’s assistant, and on each shift, a minimum of three RNs. HCH employs part time-nurses and PRN as needed. It also employs nurses in clinics, home health nurses, hospice specialists, and nurses performing office administration-type jobs that could be pulled to the floor in the event of a patient surge.

Hemphill County Hospital is designated as an acute care hospital, with a total capacity of 23 patients. An acute care hospital provides inpatient medical care and other related services, acute medical conditions, or injuries.

HCH is able to care for mild COVID-19 cases, according to CEO Christy Francis, but will transport any critical condition patients to larger facilities such as BSA Hospital or Northwest Texas Hospital, both in Amarillo. “We don’t have ventilators here,” said Francis, “because we have no ICU. We could [care for COVID-19 patients] as long as they don’t need a vent.”

Amarillo currently has 533 out of 990 beds available, or 51 percent. Amarillo has 46 ICU beds in total. If Amarillo hospitals reach capacity, Panhandle patients who require advanced care will be transferred to other surrounding critical care hospitals, “We would keep positive patients here if they didn’t need a higher level of care,” Francis said. “If they do, we will take them to the nearest appropriate facility that could accept them. We’ll go all directions to get them to nearest facility. Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas.”

Globally:

Case Count: 1,511,104

Death Count: 88,338

United States:

Case Count: 429,052

Death Count: 14,695

Texas:

Case Count: 9,353

Death Count: 177