By: Kensi Freeland
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – As the world feels like it is falling apart, many hospitals are trying to prepare for what is to come. The need for beds and ventilators in Arkansas has not been an issue yet, but it may become one soon enough. The COVID-19 Health Data website said the projected peak for COVID-19 cases will be on April 26th, and Arkansas should not experience any shortages of beds in the ICU or ventilators.
“Surgeries that aren’t emergencies have been canceled. We are trying to save beds, and preparing for the worst of it,” Stephanie Turney, nurse at National Park Medical Center (NPMC), said. She said the first of NPMC’s three COVID-19 cases were confirmed not that long ago. The three patients are kept isolated on their own floor.
All hospitals are to have a protocol in place for when somebody becomes infected. “If somebody gets infected they are tested. If they test positive, of course, then they are isolated and treated for Coronavirus,” Turney said. The other protocol for people who come in contact with infected patients includes being put in isolation for two weeks, or until they know they’re okay.
NPMC’s facility is currently not letting visitors in; the people who do come in get their temperatures checked and have to wash their hands. Since April 3rd, there has been a medical mask requirement for those in the building. “We are told to wash our hands when we leave the facility and immediately when you get home, take your clothes off and get in the shower,” Nurse Turney said.
Turney said the mood inside the hospital is fine. “Morale is good. Everybody is staying positive,” Turney shared. The one thing that has changed is the census being down; most surgeries are canceled so there is much less foot traffic coming in and out of NPMC.
The CDC named the main symptoms of COVID-19:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
They also included a list of ways to prevent the disease:
- Clean your hands often
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces