In #Montana, the surge of COVID-19 cases is leading to rationed health care at a Helena-area hospital. Hospitals around the region say they are hitting capacity. mtpr.org/montana-news/2…
Dr. Shelly Harkins, the president and chief medical officer of Helena’s Saint Peter’s Health made this sobering announcement Thursday morning.

“For the first time in my career we are at the point where not every patient in need will get the care we might wish we could give.”
“Our ICU is 100-percent full, Harkins says. “Our advanced medical unit is 100-percent full, meaning our critical-care resources are at max capacity.”
“Our morgue is full. For the first time in this pandemic, we face the reality that we’re going to need to bring in additional morgue support. What that actually means is a freezer truck in the parking lot.”
She says the COVID-19 Delta variant is making people far more sick than the original strain last winter.

“These patients are on extremely high levels of oxygen support. Many patients are on levels of oxygen that are like a fire hose.”
"The oxygen delivery system is stressed. Specialty drugs to treat COVID-19 are also in short supply."

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More from @Cleavon_MD

19 Sep
45 yo Charles Roberts from Glen Ridge, NJ was one of the first police officers to die from COVID in May 2020, b4 vaccines were available. He collapsed at home when his heart stopped. His kids heard the thud. His son turned 12 today. All he wants for his Bday is a COVID vaccine
In October 2020, Alice Roberts along with her children, Shea, Natalie and Gavin, gave this interview following the death of her husband.
I shared Charles "Rob" Roberts story in January, in this thread of 50 police officers killed by COVID, before vaccines were available.
Read 4 tweets
19 Sep
🗣️A reminder that the Biden Administration launched a massive COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program, that provides up to $9,000 to cover the burial costs of each American who died of covid-19 — the largest program of its type ever offered by the federal government.
FEMA has provided over $1.044 billion to nearly 159,000 people to assist with COVID-19-related funeral costs for deaths occurring on or after Jan. 20, 2020. fema.gov/press-release/…
How to apply
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline
844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585
Read 6 tweets
19 Sep
The Coronavirus Claims Black Morticians, Leaving Holes In Communities. Since the start of the pandemic, 130 Black morticians have died from COVID-19. npr.org/2021/09/12/103…
"Deaths of Black morticians are particularly notable bc of the prominent role they have long played in many communities. Often admired for their success in business, a number have been elected to political office, served as local power brokers & helped fund civil rights efforts"
"We were getting bombarded with COVID bodies," said Dr. Mary Gaffney, who stepped in to run her brother, Jeremiah's, funeral home in Inwood, New York after he died of the virus last May.
Read 5 tweets
18 Sep
Less than a month after 18 y.o. Elijah “E.J.” Johnson scored two touchdowns in his first high school game of the season, his mom says he’s fighting to breathe due to COVID pneumonia complicated by blood clots. He's admitted to a pediatric ICU in Missouri kansascity.com/news/state/mis…
Elijah was not vaccinated, but his mother wants to warn others about the virus. "I choose to be transparent about my son's journey bc the youth are being exposed and transmitting the virus more and more... his school doesn’t have a mask mandate it’s optional"
16-year-old Levi Barnett, Oklahoma high school football player is hospitalized with COVID. “It gets depressing,” said mom, “You just sit there and you watch your sick child and all you can do is just pray for them to be better.” kansascity.com/news/nation-wo…
Read 60 tweets
18 Sep
55 y.o. Eva Baisey, known as one of the longest living heart transplant recipients in medical history, died from COVID on 9/12/2021 — more than 34 years after receiving a heart from an unlikely donor #SoulsLostToCovid washingtonpost.com/local/obituari…
"The heart donor had been Mark Wiley, a young man who had killed his estranged girlfriend, 19-year-old Karen Ermert. When police arrived at the scene, Willey shot himself in the head."
"It's just — it's a heart. It's an organ. It's not a murder organ," Baisey told "48 Hours" in 2019. "And it's just an organ that happened to save my life."
Read 6 tweets
18 Sep
Angelica Lara, high school student from Elmore City, Oklahoma recently lost her mother to an illness months after her father and 18 y.o. sister died from COVID, before vaccines were available. krqe.com/new-mexico-cw-…
“COVID didn’t take her, but it definitely had an impact because there is a possibility that if they could’ve found an ICU bed that she could still be here,” said Angelica’s aunt. “We don’t know why. But we know that we spent hours looking for an ICU bed.”
If you're in a position to help, please consider donating to this fundraiser to support Angelica Lara to help through this unimaginable loss. facebook.com/donate/8725774…
Read 4 tweets

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