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April 11, 2020
Burgh/North Countryman
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• EDITION •
North Country hospitals complete surge capacity plans State directive looked for 50 percent capacity increase, 100 percent if attainable By Kim Dedam, Alina Walentowicz, Laurel Caroll STAFF WRITERS
NORTHERN NEW YORK | Area hospitals have responded to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s order for bed expansion. The state looked for every hospital to increase available beds by 50 percent, shifting that goal up to 100 percent where possible.
ADIRONDACK HEALTH
At Adirondack Health, spokesman Matt Scollin said they have achieved the Department of Health measure for surge capacity for both acute care and intensive care unit beds. Adirondack Medical Center built capacity from 95 certified beds to 145. They have 8 ICU beds with plans in place, Scollin said, to get to 12. The hospital in Saranac Lake has nine ventilators. In addition to in-hospital room, Adirondack Health is currently reviewing sites for off-site care. “We have looked at three locations that could be utilized for non-COVID patients,” Scollin said. “But we’ve made no decision yet, so we are not naming the sites. Staffing for the extra beds and offsite beds is also in the works.” Adirondack Health is paying particular attention to local demographics, given the elderly demographic in Essex County with 5 percent more people age 65 and older than the rest of the state. An unusual demand is also looking to Adirondack Health for childbirth options. Expectant parents from outside the region have approached the hospital looking to deliver their new babies at the Stafford New Life Center, a wing of Adirondack Medical Center dedicated specifically for labor and delivery. “We have had five requests, and
there are likely going to be more, from moms in their third trimester,” Scollin said, adding that the inquiry is welcome. “It is what we do.” Coordination between hospital systems, administrators and staff throughout the North Country is ongoing, Scollin said, as area hospitals pool resources, monitor data and supplies. “It really has been something to see. Our communities can be assured we are working extremely well together on their behalf.” More information available at www.adirondackhealth.org.
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (UVM) HEALTH NETWORK, ELIZABETHTOWN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL (ECH)
Expansion for beds is in place at ECH, with a plan submitted to the state’s Department of Health (DOH) to include 13 beds split between the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses. More information available at www.ech.org.
UVM HEALTH NETWORK, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY PHYSICIANS HOSPITAL (CVPH), PLATTSBURGH
CVPH now has two intensive care units: one for COVID-19 or “suspected” COVID-19 patients; one for non-COVID-19 patients. The hospital added a supplemental, tented outdoor ER for patients with respiratory illnesses. “We are planning to be able to ventilate up to as many as thirty [ICU beds],” said Dr. Wouter Rietsema, MD, VP of Population and Information Services, an infectious disease physician at CVPH. Originally at 14, the hospital’s surge capacity for ICU beds has now reached 28, but Dr. Rietsema said appropriately trained staff are just as needed as the beds themselves, with the expectation that current staff members could fall ill. “We’ve started training certain people for other work within the hospital so that we can meet our surge plans.” Officials are discussing overflow bed options and circumstances, should the hospital require support.
Some nearby hotels are partnering w ith Clinton Count y Health Department (CCHD) and Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide care and housing resources in an overflow situation, with particular attention to populations experiencing homelessness. DSS maintains housing partnerships with a number of area hotels and motels. Should a positive test occur, individuals are “housed in a location specified by CCHD”, according to Area 9 County Legislator Christopher Rosenquest (D), also legislative liaison to the area business community. “CCHD has contracts with America’s Best, the Villa and the Quality Inn to house people confi rmed positive to have COVID-19 and who also don’t have any other place to isolate and quarantine.” He said in these hotels “the individual rooms are set up such that the air is circulated for that room itself and not throughout the entire facility.” Mostly-empty SUNY Plattsburgh has ramped up preparations within the college’s housing facilities, according to a student-newspaper article detailing arrangements and procedures for remaining on-campus students, now totalling less than 200. “We will support any request from UVM-CVPH and the county health department on use of campus facilities,” said University Police Director of Emergency Management Michael Caraballo. “In terms of preparation, we are simply clearing space now that most students have left and there may be a need. There are no planned uses at the moment.” More information available at www.cvph.org.
GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL (GFH)
GFH is re-opening previously closed units and increasing staffing as needed in an effort to accommodate a 54% increase in beds, according to VP of Hospital and Community Engagement F. Raymond Agnew, CFRE. The hospital’s visitor policy has been updated to include: “Due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 regionally, and out of an abundance of caution and care for our community, Glens Falls Hospital will suspend ALL routine visitation to our patients effective immediately.” Beyond this, visitors under 16 are
Local firefighters rescue birthdays
After responding to a car crash April 4, Cadyville Fire Department and Morrisonville EMS had one more stop to make-this time to bring birthday cheer to a local 11-year-old, who missed celebrating his special day with friends due to the current Coronavirus crisis. Sam Larche was all smiles as he greeted firefighters from afar and watched the passing parade, complete with lights, sirens and cheer. The longtime volunteer’s grandson was the first of several kids to get personal birthday greetings from the Cadyville Fire Department. While they can only visit kids within their fire district and are limited to one volunteer per fire truck, volunteers hope to make several socially-distant birthday rounds this month to help kids celebrate despite the uncertain times. Photos by Andrea VanValkenburg
not allowed. Expecting mothers in the area who prepare to give birth during this time will be granted one visitor, as an exception to the policy. Birth parents are allowed to visit the Special Care Nursery, but must “remain in the room for the duration of the visit” policy says. More information available at www.glensfallshospital.org.
SURGE CAPACITY
Cuomo’s directive to expand hospital capacity was issued March 23 with a clause that would allow the state to suspend or revoke the operating certificate “of any general hospital should they be unable to meet the requirements of the necessary capacity directives.” The order gave permission for the state Department of Health to
commandeer any hospital found out of compliance, and to “appoint a receiver to continue the operations on 24 hours’ notice to the current operator, in order to preserve the life, health and safety of the people of the State of New York.” Cuomo has said in his daily Coronavirus updates that all hospitals in the state have responded. The first case of COVID-19 was reported in New York State on March 1. By April 1, there were 83,889 cases with 1,941 resulting in death. In the North Country, Saratoga County is seeing a steep increase in COVID-19 cases, with 131 on April 1, including 14 new from the day before, according to Saratoga County’s Department of Public Health. Of the 131 COVID+ individuals in Saratoga County, 18 are in a hospital. ■
COLLEGE EMPLOYEES TEST POSITIVE
SUNY Plattsburgh cases of COVID-19, county updates By Alina Walentowicz STAFF WRITER
PLATTSBURGH | Following the multi-town trail left by the confirmed case announced on March 29, including Beekmantown Central school, Eclipse Gym and Walmart, contact tracing efforts in Clinton County, NY have led to the discovery of two confirmed employee
cases of COVID-19 at SUNY Plattsburgh. The college was also included on the health department’s list of reported locations and services which the case identified over the weekend had been in contact with while symptomatic. While one of the institution’s employee cases is linked to the weekend case, the other is not, according to a statement from Dr. Alexander Enyedi, the college president. “We expect more cases will present within and around our campus community over time.” High-risk contact means being within 6 feet of someone with the virus for more than 10 minutes, according to information in the
county health department’s recent release. Four of the twenty confirmed individuals have recovered from COVID-19, but follow-up tests are unable to be performed at this time. Tests are still in short supply. Clinton County Health Department Director of Health Care Services Erin Streiff said moving forward the county may also be using “subjective determination rather than a confirmatory test.” Though patients experience the symptoms differently, Streiff said recovery includes a “resolution of fever without the use of feverreducing medications; and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and at least 7 days have passed
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since symptoms first appeared.” At the time of writing this article, the county tally has reached 20. Weighing in on the matter, City of Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read said in one of his daily video updates that he is working with the state to get city residents to wear masks when out in public, saying “there is a lot of evidence that it helps prevent those of us who may be infected, and not even know it, from infecting others.” He went on, “I am also trying to see if we can give our police more tools to prevent the invulnerable from assembling or partying and hence risking more infections.”■
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