After admitting that it had been including neonatal intensive care unit beds in its count of hospital beds available midst the coronavirus pandemic, the state of South Dakota has now admitted it should separate NICU from ICU capacity to give us a better picture of how much capacity our health care providers have left for sick and injured South Dakotans.
Since a majority of COVID-19 patients are adults, the state is now separating them.
…As of Thursday morning, nearly 32 (31.8) percent of the state’s staffed ICU beds were available.
When you don’t include the pediatric beds, that number drops to 15.5 percent available [Angela Kennecke, “How Many ICU Beds Are Actually Available for Adults in State Hospitals,” KELO-TV, 2020.11.19].
Some South Dakota hospitals have maxed out their ICUs:
In the latest report, Avera McKennan had less than seven percent (6.9%) of staffed adult beds available in its ICU.
A handful of South Dakota’s other hospitals did not have any open beds for adults in their ICUs, including Sanford USD medical center (Sioux Falls), Monument Health (Rapid City), St. Mary’s (Pierre), Prairie Lakes (Watertown) and Sanford Aberdeen [Kennecke, 2020.11.19].
On holiday travel, the CDC says, “Travel may increase your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” Understand that if you ignore that advice and travel to South Dakota and suffer a major medical problem, many of our hospitals may have to turn turn you away.
Only in SD would you fudge the numbers like that. Not even during a pandemic can you have some integrity in Pierre.
Wow, folks. I typically despise Mikey Rounds, but he actually posted some semi-smartness today on FB, much of which is a huge slap in the face to MoroNoem. A wee smidgeon of it: “Wearing a mask isn’t just about protecting you, it’s about protecting others around you. Leaders wear masks.” If I had nothing better to do, and had any idea whether Noem was behind her TrumpFence in Pierre or on the taxpayer-subsidized Recota property or wherever, I’d walk up and down in front of her stupid place with a huge sign that says: “Mike Rounds Says–LEADERS WEAR MASKS.” She, of course, posted some “have turkey day if you want, there’s no science that says…” blah blah blah.
I had a checkup today and both the lady nurse and lady doc mentioned that Noem is an idiot. Made me so damn happy, especially since I rarely talk to anyone any more ‘cept my kid and a couple reddish co-workers.
Anderson Cooper interview with SD nurse’s aide Heidi Schumann:
“It’s very hard. There’s a lot of days that I go home and just cry…I get to go home to my family and I get to see my daughter and my parents…some of these people don’t make it out of here.”
https://twitter.com/AC360/status/1329990704580472832?s=20&fbclid=IwAR3b_ThgU4kqFZHYnMC58MYIP04765v3u_7DlbANx-Fn5dcoPm1g8-oiaEg
“You wouldn’t even know there’s a pandemic going on,” said Heidi Haugan, a mother of four young children in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s biggest city.”
Really, Heidi? Well the way things are going someone you know and love will be sick (at the very least) soon. Maybe then you’ll care. Maybe.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/21/us/coronavirus-south-dakota-new-mexico.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR0NH3bnb7-1KLSSK6FT4u5dHzbnDaGUcVcvfR5ipxHzHESBzccUKCPQt_g