Wyoming hospitals are seeing a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases and report that the main concern at this time is having adequate staffing. In response, Governor Mark Gordon is utilizing $10 million in CARES Act funds to bring additional medical personnel to the state to alleviate the strain on hospitals and Wyoming health care professionals.
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has partnered with the Wyoming Hospital Association to bring in temporary medical personnel to address the surge in hospitalizations that has occurred around the state, and to prepare for additional staffing needs that are likely to arise. As of November 10, Wyoming hospitals were reporting a record 178 COVID-19 current hospitalizations. One month ago there were only 56.
Both Sheridan Memorial Hospital and the Johnson County Healthcare Center has seen a substantial increase in the number of COVID-19 patients over the past several days.
Sheridan Hospital’s Mike McCafferty commented on the ongoing daily evaluation of the hospital’s resource during a press conference last week…
Johnson County’s Sean McCallister spoke about staffing concerns amidst the spike during a press briefing on Tuesday…
The Wyoming Hospital Association will work with the state’s hospitals to evaluate medical staff shortages and consult with the WDH on each facilities’ needs. The temporary medical personnel will allow hospitals to treat additional patients, offset staff shortages that may occur due to illness and provide relief to hospital staff dealing with heavy workloads and long stretches of overtime.
The Governor will be holding a press briefing on the state’s COVID-19 response at 10 this morning.
