Health officials say Polk County hospitalizations are 'at all-time high'
Updated: 5:02 PM CST Nov 14, 2020
Health officials say Polk County hospitalizations are 'at all-time high'
Updated: 5:02 PM CST Nov 14, 2020
QUALIFY AND TEST IOWA SITES ARE BOOKED. STEVE: vlog’S KAYLA JAMES IS LIVE IN DES MOINES AND KAYLA, YOU SPOKE WITH HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO GET A TEST AT THEIR CLINICS. KAYLA: THAT’S RIGHT, STEVE. WE ARE AT THE BROADLAWNS URGENT CARE, WHICH IS SERVING AS A WALK-IN TESTING SITE. LIKE OTHER DES MOINES-METRO HEALTHCARE PROVIDER TEST SITES, IT ISN’T FREE HERE. BUT THEY’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN TESTING OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS SHOWING THEIR PRESENCE IS A NECESSITY RIGHT NOW. >> WE ARE TESTING BOTH ANYONE WITH SYMPTOMS CONCERING FOR COVID-19. KAYLA AND ANYONE WHO’S BEEN : CONTACTED BY THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. BROADLAWNS’ THREE URGENT CLINICS ARE ALSO TESTING PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY’VE BEEN EXPOSED TO CORONAVIRUS. >> WE OFTEN ENCOURAGE PATIENTS IF THEY’RE HAVING SYMPTOMS TO CALL FROM THE PARKING LOT, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE WE’RE DIRECTING THEM BACK INTO A ROOM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. KAYLA DESPITE IOWA’S RISE IN : CORONAVIRUS CASES AND HOSPITALIZATIONS, DR. -- THE DOCTOR SAYS BROADLAWNS HAS AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF TESTING. WHICH IS GOOD, SINCE THEY’RE TESTING A LOT MORE THAN THE 40-50 TESTS PER DAY BACK IN JUNE. >> AND OVER THE LAST WEEK WE ARE TESTING CLOSER TO 200 PEOPLE A DAY. KAYLA MERCYONE REPORTS AN : INCREASE IN COVID-19 TESTING, TOO. >> I WOULD GUESS WE ARE TESTING PROBABLY 600 A DAY. KAYLA AND THAT’S JUST IN SIX : URGENT CARE LOCATIONS, BUT BECAUSE OF AN INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR TESTING, DR. MCCOY SAYS IT’S BEST IF PEOPLE MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. >> WE’RE RECOMMENDING YOU CALL YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER. IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE, WE CAN CALL THAT ACCESS TO HEALTH LINE AND THEY COULD HOOK YOU UP WITH A CLINIC THAT’S CLOSEST TO YOUR LOCATION. KAYLA A NEWLY ESTABLISHED : TESTING SITE ON UNVIERSITY AVE PROVIDES OUTPATIENT TESTING FOR PRODECURES AND EMPLOYEE TESTING. BUT DR. MCCOY SAYS MERCYONE IS WORKING ON CHANGING THAT IN THE FUTURE SO PEOPLE COULD JUST SHOW UP AND GET TESTED WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO UNITYPOINT HEALTH AND THE IOWA CLINIC. UNITYPOINT HEALTH SAYS AN ORDER FROM ONE OF THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IS REQUIRED TO GET TESTED. THE IOWA CLINC, WHO REPORTS HAVING MORE TESTS THAN EVER BEFORE, REQUIRES SOMEONE TO BE A PATIENT WITH ONE OF THEIR CARE PROVIDERS AND TO HAVE EITHER COME IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO TESTED POSITIVE OR HAVE SYMPTOMS. IN DES MOINES, KAYLA JAMES, vlog 8 NEW IOWA’S NEWS L
Advertisement
Health officials say Polk County hospitalizations are 'at all-time high'
Updated: 5:02 PM CST Nov 14, 2020
Health officials said there are 204 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Polk County. This is the highest number of hospitalizations in the county since the pandemic began. Nola Aigner Davis, with the Polk County Health Department, said staffing is of great concern for hospitals. "We are seeing an increasing number of medical staff out with COVID-19 or isolating at home, and because of this, adequate hospital and clinic staffing remains an issue for our community," Aigner Davis said. She hopes this will remind the public to stay home when sick, wear a mask, social distance and get a flu shot. "We cannot stress enough how alarming and urgent the situation has become for hospitals and their health care workers," Aigner Davis said.
DES MOINES, Iowa —
Health officials said there are 204 hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Polk County. This is the highest number of hospitalizations in the county since the pandemic began.
Nola Aigner Davis, with the Polk County Health Department, said staffing is of great concern for hospitals.
Advertisement
"We are seeing an increasing number of medical staff out with COVID-19 or isolating at home, and because of this, adequate hospital and clinic staffing remains an issue for our community," Aigner Davis said.
She hopes this will remind the public to stay home when sick, wear a mask, social distance and get a flu shot.
"We cannot stress enough how alarming and urgent the situation has become for hospitals and their health care workers," Aigner Davis said.
