Des Moines hospital official warns: 'We do not have enough of supplies' to combat coronavirus

Doctors from two of the larger Des Moines-area hospitals are warning of the need for more medical supplies or equipment as they cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

Dr. Yogesh Shah, chief medical officer at Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, warned Monday that his facility needs more medical supplies to respond to the coronavirus, including ventilators and masks.

Shah said Broadlawns has just seven ventilators to treat patients who may need help breathing. The devices could prove crucial in treating patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus.

Coronavirus is spreading around the world and the United States. Iowa has confirmed 23 cases, as of Monday. Some of the cases involve people who do not know how they contracted the virus and some of those infected have had to be hospitalized.

Dr. Hijinio Carreon, chief medical officer at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, said his facility will need more ventilators. The Des Moines hospital is one of the state's largest.

“Yes, we have been requesting additional ventilators,” he said. “We’re looking to our affiliate hospitals to determine how we best utilize their systems in place.”

Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state public health department's medical director and epidemiologist, said at a news conference with Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday that public health officials should "continue to reach out and assess" ventilator capabilities and "higher level of care capabilities."

In response to a question about what the state would do if it didn't have enough, Pedati said: "That's a great question, and it's another example of something that public health and clinical partners have been working on, not just for weeks or months, but for years. We've put together plans about how we handle surge capacity both at the individual facility level and at the state level, as well as at the national level."

Reynolds said the state is making daily decisions to cope with the virus. On Sunday, she recommended all schools close for four weeks. On Monday, lawmakers prepared to suspend their session for 30 days.

"We are monitoring the situation in real time, and making evidence-based decisions to mitigate and slow the spread of the virus," Reynolds said. "Our efforts are focused on preventing a sudden spike in positive cases that could overwhelm our health-care system and cause other significant impacts to the state."

► More Monday:Iowa ready to waive 4 weeks from school year as classes stop for coronavirus

'We do not have enough supplies'

Shah, at his news conference with Polk County officials, told reporters that among the hospital supplies needed at Broadlawns are more surgical masks and other masks, known as N95, that protect hospital employees from the virus. Shah said materials used to swab patients, and test tubes, are also needed.

"We do not have enough of supplies," Shah said.

Shah warned the problems could be exacerbated without enough Intensive Care Unit beds that are air-controlled specifically to avoid infection transmission. That setup helps treat patients who need more serious treatment.

"We do not have enough of ICU beds which are negatively airflow controlled," he said.

Shah urged Polk County residents to call 211 instead of visiting a local medical provider if they have a question about coronavirus-related care. Polk County residents will be directed to a call center with nurses who will answer questions.

The directive goes into effect Tuesday.

"Do not go to your provider or hospitals to get tested, you'll be sent back," he said. "... Rather, call this 211 and then find out whether you need to be tested or not, and if you need to be tested, you'll be guided appropriately."

► MORE:The latest on coronavirus in Iowa.

Carreon, who also oversees MercyOne's West Des Moines medical center, said his facilities are also assessing elective surgeries, though he did not provide more detail. Some hospitals in Washington State and New York are postponing elective surgeries.

"We've been discussing elective surgeries, in general," Carreon said. "What defines an elective surgery is one of the questions, because obviously, one can presume an elective surgery is something that isn't needed, and that's far from the truth."

Analysis highlights Iowa shortage

Even if all of Iowa’s hospital beds are reserved for people with severe or critical symptoms related to coronavirus, there won’t be enough if the virus crashes over the state in a short time, according to a USA TODAY analysis.

The analysis uses a conservative estimate of infection rates and hospitalization days, and still finds the coronavirus could be expected to overwhelm the health-care system if it takes four months or fewer to spread through the state.

If the virus’ spread is slowed to six months or more, the situation is much less dire, the analysis found. Public health experts say that people can “flatten the curve” and slow the virus' spread by self-quarantining, social distancing when in public and practicing good hygiene with frequent, thorough hand-washing.

Iowa has about 9,400 hospital beds or about 3 per 1,000 people, according to the American Hospital Association.

If 7.4% of Iowans are infected with coronavirus — the lowest rate of infection from the seasonal flu, a different contagious illness, in the past five years — that would mean 231,000 people would be sickened. At that rate, based on World Health Organization estimates, 46,000 Iowans could be made either severely or critically ill from COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly contagious virus.

If those projections are correct, there would be only one hospital bed available for nearly every five COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization. A COVID-19 patient who needs hospitalization generally needs about 11 days there, according to a pre-print study of Chinese cases by the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Craig Borchard, a spokesman for the Iowa Hospital Association, said as of Monday, there was no statewide recommendation for hospitals on their policies regarding visitors or elective services, though some hospitals have announced on their own to restrict visits.

Borchard said hospital officials and others met with Reynolds and her staff last week.

"IHA shared information and questions from member hospitals about screenings, workforce concerns, personal protective equipment availability and visitor policies," he said in an email. "... IHA will conduct weekly calls with hospitals' CEOs to support the work of Iowa hospitals as this issue evolves and provide ongoing information to the governor from IHA’s membership."

► MORE:Here's a map of the coronavirus cases in Iowa

Barbara Rodriguez covers health care and politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at bcrodriguez@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8011. Follow her on Twitter @bcrodriguez. Nick Coltrain is a politics and data reporter for the Register. Reach him at ncoltrain@registermedia.com or at 515-284-8361.

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