>> AS DELTA COVID CASES CONTINUE
TO SPIKE, HOSPITALS ACROSS THE
STATE ARE BUMPING UP
AGAINST CAPACITY.
HOSPITALS LIKE THE MARSHFIELD
MEDICAL CENTER IN BEAVER DAM.
IT'S A SMALL RURAL HOSPITAL IN
DODGE COUNTY, A PLACE WHERE
CASES ARE ON THE RISE AND THE
PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS FULLY
VACCINATED IS TEN POINTS BELOW
THE STATE AVERAGE.
THE HOSPITAL IS NEARLY FULL UP
NOW AND STAFF THERE WORRY FOR
THE START OF SCHOOL AND THE
WINTER MONTHS AHEAD.
FOR MORE ON THE SITUATION AT
MARSHFIELD MEDICAL CENTER IN
BEAVER DAM, WE TURN TO ANGELI
FOSTER, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE
OFFICER AT THE HOSPITAL.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS
AFTERNOON.
>> SO WHAT IMPACT HAVE NEWLY
SPIKING COVID CASE NUMBERS HAD
ON YOUR HOSPITAL AND ITS
CAPACITY?
>> SO I WISH I HAD BETTER NEWS.
WE HIT 92% OUR INPATIENT
CAPACITY, AND THAT'S A REAL
UPTICK FROM WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN
THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
WE ARE SEEING A GREATER NEED FOR
RESPIRATORY CARE FOR OUR
PATIENTS THAT ARE COMING IN.
IT IS ON AVERAGE -- OUR AVERAGE
DAILY CENSUS IS 150% UP OVER
WHAT IT WAS JUST TWO WEEKS AGO.
SO WE'RE FEELING THE PRESSURE,
WE'RE FEELING THE STRAIN AND
WE'RE JUST SO INCREDIBLY SAD
THAT WE'RE BACK HERE AGAIN THIS
FALL.
>> AND SO I GUESS IT GOES
WITHOUT SAYING THAT THOSE
PATIENTS NEEDING RESPIRATORY
CARE AND THE CAPACITY SITUATION
IS DUE TO PATIENTS WHO COME IN
COVID-POSITIVE?
>> CORRECT.
YES.
DIRECTLY TIED.
WE HAD A POINT LAST WEEKEND
WHERE WE WERE ABOUT 30% OF THE
PATIENTS WE HAD IN THE HOUSE
WERE COVID-POSITIVE, AND 100% OF
THOSE IN ICU ON VENTILATORS WERE
COVID-POSITIVE.
>> SO HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU AND
YOUR HOSPITAL STAFF ABOUT
PROJECTIONS OF EVEN FURTHER
SURGING COVID CASES INTO THE
FALL AND WINTER, ESPECIALLY IN A
COUNTY WITH LOWER VACCINATION
RATES?
>> WE'RE VERY CONCERNED.
YOU KNOW, DODGE COUNTY, NEW
CASES ARE UP 53% SINCE LAST
WEEK, SCHOOL STARTS BACK THIS
WEEK.
THE FAIR WAS ABOUT TWO WEEKS
AGO, SO WE'RE REALLY
ANTICIPATING ADDITIONAL SURGES.
AND THE CHALLENGE FOR US IS,
LAST YEAR WE WEATHERED THE
STORM, MY TEAM HERE IS
INCREDIBLE, THE CLINICIANS AND
PROVIDERS WHO TAKE SUCH GOOD
CARE OF OUR COMMUNITY SHOWED UP,
BUT WE HAVE 20% FEWER THIS YEAR
WORKING.
THEY CHOSE TO RETIRE OR LEAVE
HEALTHCARE BECAUSE THE
POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS IS SO
INTENSE.
SO I'M NERVOUS NOT ONLY ABOUT
THE SURGE THAT'S COMING AND THE
FACT THAT WE DON'T SEE ANY
LET-UP IN THE NUMBERS, AND ALSO
NOT HAVING ENOUGH STAFF TO BE
ABLE TO MEET THAT NEED.
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THE
SHORTAGE OF STAFF?
ARE YOU HAVING TO GO, SAY, OUT
OF STATE TO CONTRACT WITH STAFF?
>> SO WE HAVE SOME CONTRACTED
LABOR BUT EVEN THAT POOL IS
SMALL.
AND SO WE'VE REALLY TURNED TO A
TEAM MODEL.
SO WE'RE ASKING FOLKS WHO ARE
NOT TRADITIONALLY IN CLINICAL
ENVIRONMENTS TO COME IN AND
HELP.
I'M NOT CLINICAL, BUT I CAN
STOCK A PPE CART FOR THEM, OR I
CAN TAKE A WATER TO A PATIENT,
AND OUR STAFF IS SHOWING UP AND
DOING INCREDIBLE THINGS IN ORDER
TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE
PATIENTS.
>> WHAT ABOUT FOR PATIENTS WHO
MAY BE IN YOUR HOSPITAL FOR
THINGS LIKE HEART ATTACKS OR
STROKE, WHAT DOES THIS CAPACITY
AND THE NEEDS OF THESE NEWLY
INCOMING PATIENTS DO TO THE CARE
FOR THOSE PATIENTS?
>> WELL, OF COURSE WE ALWAYS,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS STRIVE TO TAKE
CARE OF OUR PATIENTS, AND DO THE
VERY BEST WE CAN FOR THEM.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT ACROSS
THE STATE, WE'RE ALL SPREAD
THIN, SO EVEN IF I WILL ACCEPT
PATIENTS, WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRY
TO CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY, BUT
IF WE NEED TO TRANSFER OUT EVEN
OTHER FACILITIES ARE NOT IN A
POSITION TO TAKE FOLKS RIGHT
NOW.
SO IT IS A STRAIN.
AND WE DON'T EVER WANT TO GET TO
THE POINT WHERE WE HAVE TO
DECIDE WHO GETS SERVICES AND WHO
DOESN'T, BUT IF WE DON'T SLOW
DOWN ON THE TRAJECTORY, WE COULD
FIND OURSELVES THERE AGAIN THIS
FALL.
>> AND DO YOU FIND YOURSELVES
CLOSE TO THAT AT THIS MOMENT?
>> I THINK IT'S COMING IN THE
NEXT FEW WEEKS TO MONTHS, YES,
ESPECIALLY IF WE CAN'T GET FOLKS
TO GET THE VACCINE OR TO MASK UP
OR TO SOCIAL DISTANCE AS KIDS
RETURN TO SCHOOL AND, YOU KNOW,
I WAS AT THE GROCERY STORE
YESTERDAY, AND IN THIS SMALL
TOWN HERE, THERE WERE ONLY A
HANDFUL OF US WEARING MASKS.
AS WE ALL START TO TRANSITION
INSIDE AND BE MORE AROUND EACH
OTHER, THE DELTA VARIANT IS MUCH
MORE CONTAGIOUS, AND WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE BIGGER ISSUES THIS FALL.
>> DO YOU HAVE AN INDICATION
FROM THE PATIENTS WHO ARE COMING
IN WHO ARE COVID-POSITIVE
WHETHER OR NOT THOSE WERE PEOPLE
WHO HAD BEEN VACCINATED?
>> SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT LAST
MONTH AT MARSH VILLE CLINIC
HEALTH SYSTEM, 94% OF THOSE WHO
WERE HOSPITALIZED WITH COVID HAD
NOT BEEN VACCINATED.
AND SO THAT'S VERY CONCERNING
FOR US, NOT ONLY HERE IN BEAVER
DAM BUT ACROSS THE STATE.
WHAT IT SHOWS ME IS THAT THE
VACCINE WORKS, RIGHT?
WITH ONLY 6% THOSE BEING
HOSPITALIZED HAVING HAD A
BREAKTHROUGH CASE, WHAT CONCERNS
ME MORE IS THOSE WHO HAVE NOT
HAD THAT COVERAGE FROM THE
VACCINE HAVING TO BE
HOSPITALIZED AND PLACED ON VENTS
AND SEEKING ADDITIONAL
RESPIRATORY SUPPORT.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU WANT FROM
STATE OR FEDERAL OFFICIALS BY
WAY OF ANY HELP WITH THIS?
>> I THINK, YOU KNOW, QUITE
HONESTLY, WE NEED TO QUIT MAKING
IT A POLITICAL ISSUE.
WE NEED TO MAKE IT A PUBLIC
HEALTH ISSUE AND THAT'S WHEN I
NEED MY COLLEAGUES AND
LEADERSHIP BOTH AT STATE AND
FEDERAL LEVELS TO HELP US WITH.
MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN
VACCINATED.
MOST OF THEM ARE WILLING TO WEAR
MASKS, AND YET WHEN IT COMES TO
PUBLICLY SAYING IT, THEY WON'T.
WE NEED A BREAK.
THIS HOSPITAL WILL HAVE BEEN
HERE A HUNDRED YEARS NEXT YEAR.
I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT IT WILL
NOT LOOK THE SAME.
THE WAY WE CARE FOR OUR PATIENTS
WILL NOT LOOK THE SAME.
BECAUSE IF WE KEEP GOING THIS
WAY, WE'LL LOSE MORE STAFF,
WE'LL BE IN A WORSE POSITION AND
NOT KNOW WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK
LIKE IN THE FUTURE, SO I NEED MY
PUBLICLY ELECTED OFFICIALS TO
ACCESTEP UP TO THE PLATE WITH UD
HELP THE COMMUNITIES TO SEE, WE
NEED TO VACCINATE, WE NEED TO
MASK UP AND WE NEED TO SOCIAL
DISTANCE TO GET THIS UNDER
CONTROL.
>> BECAUSE YOU AND YOUR STAFF
ARE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS
AND SEEING IT EVERY DAY.
>> YES, YES.
AND YOU KNOW, MY STAFF, I HAD
ONE OF MY ICU NURSES STOP ME AND
SHE SAID, I'VE BEEN A NURSE FOR
FIVE YEARS, AND FIVE YEARS PRIOR
TO COVID, I HAD ONLY LOST FOUR
PATIENTS.
AND IN THE LAST YEAR, I'VE LOST
OVER 10 THAT I'M CARING FOR.
SHE SAID, THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE
WHEN THERE'S A SOLUTION AND A
VACCINE THAT COULD VERY WELL
HELP MY COMMUNITY, BECAUSE IN
THESE RURAL AREAS, WE REALLY ARE
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
TAKING CARE OF OUR FAMILY,
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
AND IT BREAKS OUR HEART WHEN WE
SEE THEM COME IN AND NEED THE
KIND OF HELP THAT THEY NEED TO
RECOVER FROM COVID IF THEY CAN
RECOVER FROM COVID.
>> WE LEAVE IT THERE, WE LEAR IT
IN YOUR VOICE.
THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR
YOUR WORK.
>> THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU FOR
HELPING US TO GET THE MESSAGE