With Whatcom’s emergency care system ‘stretched to its limits,’ residents asked to help

As it is with just about every segment of the community, the latest surge of COVID-19 is challenging Whatcom County’s emergency healthcare system in ways it hasn’t been challenged before.

As the omicron variant drives reported case numbers in Whatcom County to record levels, St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham also has seen an increase in COVID-related patients. On Sunday, Jan. 9, the hospital reported treating a pandemic record 61 COVID-related patients.

For comparison, the hospital never had more than 42 COVID-related patients at any one time during the delta surge in late summer and fall of 2021, and that was the high-water mark for the pandemic until omicron pushed that record higher last week.

“The hospital is extremely busy, frequently over 100% capacity, with patients in every available bed in every unit,” PeaceHealth Northwest Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi said in a joint release with the Whatcom County Health Department.

Peaks in COVID-related hospitalizations usually lag two to three weeks being surges in cases and with Whatcom’s case rates still on the rise, hospital numbers could continue to climb.

Despite those challenges, Karlapudi said during a Whatcom County Health Department online briefing Tuesday, Jan. 11, that the hospital remains “fully open and operational and we are able to provide high-quality care.”

Karlapudi said during the briefing the hospital has had to rely on “elaborate plans” it has had in place since the beginning of the pandemic, limiting scheduled surgeries to a few cases per day “when there is clear harm to delay care” and using different spaces throughout the hospital to create sections where cohorts of COVID patients can be treated.

But it also needs help from the community, he said in the release.

“We have the capacity to care for those who are acutely ill, but respectfully ask those who are not facing an urgent or life-threatening condition, to seek care elsewhere,” Karlapudi said in Tuesday’s release.

In a PeaceHealth release Monday, Jan. 10, Whatcom County residents with milder injuries or illness, such as mild burns or cuts, allergies, sprains, urinary tract infections or flu and cold symptoms, were asked to seek treatment by primary care physicians, urgent care clinics and same-day clinics rather than going to the hospital.

That frees up the emergency department to treat those with serious medical and life-threatening injuries, such as fractures, serious lacerations, severe bleeding, head or eye injuries, sudden blurry vision, dizziness, weakness or loss of coordination or balance, chest pain, difficulty breathing, moderate to severe burns or loss of consciousness.

To further help, the hospital and health department in Tuesday’s release asked Whatcom County residents to:

▪ Get their booster vaccine or their first vaccine if they have not yet started a vaccination series.

▪ Wear the best mask they possibly can, preferably one that is tight-fitting and high-quality, such as a KN95 or KF-94 around others.

▪ Stay home and away from others when they have symptoms associated with COVID-19.

▪ Postpone social gatherings.

Whatcom’s health care system is further stressed by the impacts COVID is having on its skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, according to Tuesday’s release, as the health department is exploring ways to expand capacity at the county’s skilled nursing facilities where patients with less serious health care needs could be discharged.

As it has previously during the pandemic, the health department renewed its call for licensed health care professionals to volunteer to assist in supporting any surge operations at the hospital and skilled nursing facilities. Those who can help are asked to email whatcomcountymrc@co.whatcom.wa.us.

“Our emergency care system has been stretched to its limits,” Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu said in the release. “It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to be mindful of our actions and to protect ourselves and our loved ones by following public health guidelines.”