Major Michigan hospital system CEOs are having a news conference. Cases doubling every 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. Hospitalizations are up more than 5-fold in 6 weeks. Expected to top spring peak hospitalizations late this month
John Fox with Beaumont: Inpatients have tripled in less than 30 days. 400 patients across 8 hospitals. 'That is accelerating.' It's been a struggle to get people to wear masks, he says, even in the hospital lobbies. 'We get resistance.'
Spectrum Health CEO Tina Freese Decker says western Michigan system's positivity rate is 15% - was just 3% in September.
Hospital leaders are basically doing what the governor has been doing: pleading with people to wear masks, socially distance and wash hands.
Hospital leaders oppose the sort of broad government-mandated shutdown Michigan had in the spring but say more targeted restrictions may be needed if the virus isn't controlled soon.
Hospital leaders say an issue with setting up field hospitals - who would staff? Unlike in spring, the whole country is a hot spot - not 10-12 states - making it harder to pull staff from elsewhere
Brian Peters with Health & Hospital Association says 1 issue right now is bottleneck - people are ready to be discharged but nursing homes unwilling or unable to take them. Field hospitals might be a potential landing spot for them IF there is staffing
Wright Lassiter with Henry Ford says there's good compliance with mask wearing in Detroit but not Macomb - people challenging hospital staff there over masks, he says
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