PMHD respond to recent spike in daily coronavirus cases
BRAWLEY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY)-Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) provides a COVID-19 update.
As of Tuesday, the hospital in Brawley has 32 COVID-19 patients, including five Intensive Care Unit patients.
State officials confirmed earlier this week that Imperial County had a COVID-19 positive rate of 21.7 percent, being the highest rate if positive cases per capita in the state.
PMHD CEO Larry Lewis says the district has begun to recruit for additional full-time temporary registry for nursing and respiratory therapists to support the effort for an undefined longer term.
“While supplies for protective equipment are adequate for now, that resource is never taken for granted, as periodically, we wonder if and when the next shipment will arrive. Our thanks go out to the many who have contributed masks, food, and support to our frontline healthcare workers from the start of this pandemic. The Pioneers teams caring for the inpatients are definitely the best. Our critical care, emergency room, respiratory, medical surgical nursing teams, and the many teams that support their efforts continue to stretch to care for every patient. They are truly amazing,” stated Lewis.
Lewis also noted the exhaustive efforts of Dr. Michael Krutzik, Imperial County’s only critical care pulmonologist.
“He is devoting much of his time to managing the critical care patients, many of whom are on ventilators,” Lewis shared. “Neither he nor the teams behind him have flinched in taking on some of the most critically ill.
‘I also praise the efforts of the leadership teams that are anticipating needs and adjusting resources in real-time each day,” Lewis added. “The demands on their time are nonstop and the teams have jumped in with everything they have, seven days a week, with greatly extended hours of commitment, everyone. Every time I see public communications of healthcare heroes, I know we are working around them every day here, as they care for our
friends, family, and community.”
