Sheridan Memorial Hospital evaluates the number of COVID-19 patients they can care for based on many variables

Sheridan Memorial Hospital has no set limit for the number of beds available to COVID-19 patients. Each patient is evaluated and the level of care given to the patient is based on how sick that individual is at the time of admission.  

According to Chief Nursing Officer Barb Hespen, that evaluation determines the level of care that will be administered and the number of staff devoted to caring for the patient. 

The availability of staff, PPE, and number of COVID-19 patients are just a few of the variables that determine the hospital’s preparedness for a sudden surge in COVID-19 patients. It’s those variables that senior staff address during a meeting every day according to Chief Executive Officer Mike McCafferty.

“I’ve seen some reports that we only have a certain number of beds for COVID patients, which is not true,” McCafferty said. “As you can see it’s very fluid. It might be that we could have 25 people with COVID in the hospital or maybe we can only manage seven.” 

The situation changes daily and can shift at any time, Hespen said. They must remain fluid and prepared.  

Staff at Sheridan Memorial Hospital have been cross training for months, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Addlesperger. This allows for staff to be redirected to meet patient needs and fill in for staff that may contract COVID-19. 

During a meeting of Sheridan Memorial Hospital senior leadership, Chief Nursing Officer Barb Hespen, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Addlesperger, Chief Executive Officer Mike McCafferty and other senior staff meet to discuss the operations procedures, supply levels and space availability. 

The meetings happen daily, senior staff members are briefed on the status of COVID-19 patients, PPE availability and give updates on department accomplishments. Internal communications are also discussed and evaluated daily.

Currently Sheridan Memorial has five COVID-19 patients hospitalized. All of those patients are from areas outside of Sheridan County. 

The hospital currently has eight ventilators. Those devices are not only for COVID-19 patients, but high-risk surgeries and any emergencies that may come through the door, Dr. Addlesperger said. 

To determine points in a situation that demands action, staff has “triggers”. Triggers are a decision point, helping leadership make decisions based on a certain set of circumstances and variables that staff are faced with each day, McCafferty said. 

“So, for example, several months ago we made a determination, because there was so much unknown, that we would stop doing elective surgeries,” McCafferty said. “So there was a trigger point where we made the determination that we need to stop doing this because we felt it was the right thing and the safe thing to do in order to protect staff so we could care for the community, protect our PPE so those people could be prepared for a surge or a spike in COVID patients.” 

Sheridan Memorial also accepts patients from other hospitals in the region. According to McCafferty, when other hospitals become “divert”, they no longer accept any new admissions. Any patient who is acutely ill can no longer seek care in that facility and are diverted to Sheridan Memorial. McCafferty acknowledges the practice is not sustainable for Sheridan Memorial. That situation is evaluated everyday and presents another challenge faced by hospital leadership. McCafferty said the variables are evaluated daily to determine the hospital’s trigger in accepting patients while still providing quality care to Sheridan County.