Featuring hospital and health care headlines from the media and the web.
Iowa news
Carson King Foundation launching T-shirt fundraiser to help Iowans impacted by COVID-19
The Carson King Foundation is launching a t-shirt fundraiser Monday to help Iowans impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s part of a partnership with the group “Iowa Love.” They are selling limited-edition T-shirts. The money raised will go to nonprofits who provide mental health services for those impacted in the pandemic. King is known for his sign which raised millions of dollars for the University of Iowa Steady Family Children’s hospital in Iowa City. The shirts are available through May 8. (KCRG)
Muscatine Community College donates healthcare supplies
When UnityPoint Trinity Muscatine Hospital began requesting donations of personal protective equipment and other supplies to help deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, Desiree Demers, a nursing instructor at Muscatine Community College, knew her department could assist them. With students learning from home, Demers and others in the nursing program knew that supplies usually used in the school’s medical assistant and nursing labs to give students realistic practice could help meet the hospitals needs. Demers went through each lab and collected alcohol swabs, gloves, isolation gowns, sterile gloves, and surgical masks. With the help of her coworkers and several of their children home from school, Demers delivered all of the supplies to UnityPoint Trinity Muscatine Hospital to keep them available for local healthcare workers. (Discover Muscatine)
Henry County inmate the first prisoner to test positive for coronavirus
The Iowa Dept. of Corrections was notified overnight that the COVID-19 test results for an inmate at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) were returned positive. The inmate was a new admission to IMCC, and arrived from Henry County on Thursday, April 16. As part of IMCC’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all new admissions are kept in an intake quarantine cohort for 14-day observation. While in this quarantine observation, the inmate began displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Medical staff then conducted a test on the inmate, which was returned as positive. The inmate is currently in medical isolation, and a thorough contact tracing is taking place to identify any inmates or staff that may have had exposure since his arrival. (KHQA)
National news
The American Hospital Association, the American College of Surgeons and other groups have issued a joint statement today about conditions necessary to resume elective surgery. The statement says that there should be a “sustained reduction” in the rate of COVID-19 cases for at least 14 days in the relevant geographic area before elective surgery resumes. Other considerations include having enough PPE and staff and patient COVID-19 testing. The Wall Street Journal reports today that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he is willing to link another infusion of hospital funding to an additional $250 billion for the federal government’s small-business loan program. McCarthy’s openness to hospital funding was depicted as an important development in ending a Republican-Democratic stalemate over additional COVID-19-related spending. (Managed Healthcare Executive)
Cash-strapped hospitals lay off thousands of health workers despite COVID-19 staff shortages
Hospitals across the country are laying off thousands of medical workers despite facing severe staff shortages as they treat an influx of patients infected with the coronavirus. Hospitals have been feeling the effects of the pandemic for weeks as the number of coronavirus infections continued to rise, overwhelming medical systems and exhausting protective equipment stockpiles. But as the economic crisis continues to grow due to social distancing restrictions, for-profit hospitals are increasingly unable to maintain their staffing levels. (Salon)
COVID-19: Governors Begin Reopening After White House Issues Guidelines
President Donald Trump issued broad guidelines for a re-opening of the US economy this week, outlining the COVID-19 that should be in place while leaving final decisions to the nation’s governors. The 18-page document, titled “Opening Up American Again,” could put pressure on some states to send people back to work but acknowledges that conditions vary across the country. Governors are not legally required to follow the guidelines, and both health and business leaders have acknowledged that the ability to test for COVID-19 will be essential. On Friday, a number of governors announced that they were loosening social distancing in their states. (Managed Healthcare Executive)