WI Hospitals Struggle In New COVID Surge: We Are Full

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports:

Gov. Tony Evers is asking the Biden administration to send 100 federal health care workers to Wisconsin and is utilizing National Guard nurses in state mental health hospitals as hundreds of health care facilities say they need help to combat staffing shortages and a surge of COVID-19 cases.

Hospitals and long-term care facilities in Wisconsin are entering a crisis, state health officials said Wednesday, as COVID-19 infections rise while health care facilities experiencing staffing shortages continue to provide care for other ailments including the seasonal flu.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports:

“We are full. Period,” said Eric Conley, CEO of Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital. “It’s really impacting, impeding care for those patients who are not COVID that need the care getting in because getting to our beds is just very, very hard.”

According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association COVID-19 dashboard, there were 1,630 people in the state hospitalized for COVID-19 as of Tuesday afternoon— an increase of 212 over the past week. More than 400 of those patients are in intensive care units, which are in short supply.

“Unfortunately, it’s not looking good and I don’t think it’s looking good for anybody across the state or even across state lines. Our ICUs are pretty much full,” said Dr. Imran Andrabi, CEO of ThedaCare.

Wisconsin facing hospital bed shortage as COVID-19 cases climb https://t.co/oa4t7R1vKR

— jackie callahan (@crutchfoot) December 10, 2021