Rural Hospital Coalition of LouisianaRural Hospital Coalition of Louisiana

The state’s rural hospitals are facing a balancing act if the number of coronavirus cases spreads across the state. Jerry Phillips, executive director of the Rural Hospital Coalition of Louisiana, explained what that means in a news report published by The Advocate.

Phillips said as urban intensive care units fill up, smaller hospitals may be called on too take people who need inpatient service but don’t require lifesaving care. However, if the new coronavirus spreads across the state as expected, hospitals in small towns and sparsely populated areas may need to transfer patients with severe symptoms to stretched-thin ICUs in cities.

Staffing, equipment and bed capacity are at fixed levels in rural hospitals, Phillips said, as defined by state law as those with no more than 60 beds in cities and parishes of certain sizes. Some have small ICUs, but some don’t have any ICUs.

“They are very much willing to help, but how much can they?” Phillips asked. “If you don’t have ICUs and ventilators, you can’t treat this virus if you have got infections. A lot of them don’t have these.”

The realities are staggering. The Advocate said the World Health Organization predicts as many as 20 percent of those infected with the new coronavirus will need hospitalization. Joseph Kanter, as assistant state health officer, said roughly one-third of hospitalized patients will need intensive care.

Kanter told the newspaper predicting the coming surge in demand for hospital services is difficult, because there is no reliable way to forecast the number of cases Louisiana might see.

“It just becomes very challenging when you try to model based on the information out there, which is in international experience and not directly relatable to us,” Kanter said.

Hospitals are being asked to shift resources and staff away from elective procedures and outpatient services to focus on acute care, Kanter said. He added that those who are able could add second beds in what are now single-bed rooms. The state isn’t forcing those adjustments at the moment, he said, but the possibility is being discussed.

The chief nursing office at Avoyelles Hospital in Marksville said, “Large hospitals, if they need to, they can close a floor down and move staffing around to accommodate the increase. What we have is what we have. We don’t have additional personnel to pull from.”

We understand the limitations faced by rural hospitals, but we know the health care professionals who staff those facilities will make whatever sacrifices they believe are necessary. We wish them well.

This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Crystal Stevenson, John Guidroz, Mike Jones, and Jim Beam.