Officials with Ochsner says they are treating 271 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and nearly 300 more patients who potentially have the virus. Ochsner Chief Medical Officer Doctor Robert Hart says they are redeploying some of their personnel.
“Some surgeons are able to participate more in the medical care, some people are able to be an extra set of hands, but everyone is working to take care of these patients,” says Hart.
Hart says they do have an adequate supply of personal protective equipment right now, but they have asked staff to use them conservatively.
“Yes, we have asked employees to reuse gowns and masks, which in a perfect world we wouldn’t normally do,” says Hart.
Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas says not only are they seeing more COVID-19 patients but their stay in the hospital is more extended.
“The stay is longer with patients that are COVID, patients in the ICU, probably 10 to 14 days when normally we’d see patients in a shorter amount of time in our ICU,” says Thomas.
Story by Brooke Thorington.
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