What you need to know because IU Health is asking for help from the National Guard

INDIANAPOLIS – Officials at IU Health announced Thursday that they have sought help from the Indiana National Guard as hospitalizations rise statewide amid the latest wave of COVID-19.

A statement from IU Health said it has requested help for most of its hospitals except Riley Children’s Hospital.

“As COVID cases continue to rise and hospitalizations of COVID and non-COVID patients reach record levels, demand and pressure on team members, nurses and providers at Indiana University Health have never been so important, ”the statement read.

Here’s a look at what it means when the Indiana National Guard moves in to help relieve the tension.

Why is this necessary and what will it look like?

The Indiana Department of Health reported on Wednesday that 2,755 Hoosiers are hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide. This is the highest number of people hospitalized with the virus since January 7, 2021. The number of cases has reached its highest level since last winter.

Paul Calkins, IU Health’s deputy medical director for IU Health, said the highest number of patients recorded during the pandemic was 512 as of December 2020.

“We plan to go higher than that,” Calkins said. “The projections are in the mid-500s, most likely. Hopefully this is the worst case scenario, but there are no signs of slowing down just yet. “

IU Health said the six-person National Guard teams will be made up of two members of the clinical service and four non-clinical members. Deployments will be in two week increments.

Members of clinical departments could treat patients and members of non-clinical departments would provide administrative and logistical support to allow hospital employees to focus on patient care, the statement said.

All members of the National Guard teams are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

How long will the deployments last?

The Indiana National Guard said teams were to help for a week, but their stay could be extended if hospitals request additional staff through the Indiana Department of Health.

Where are members of the National Guard sent first?

Chris Weaver, clinical director of IU Health, told a virtual press conference that members of the National Guard have already been sent to Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie.

“Muncie was the first one we made the request to. They’ve been hit really, really, really hard, a high number of COVID patients in that region, ”Weaver said.

How concerned are health officials about the impact of omicron?

As hospital officials monitor the new omicron variant, they said the delta was still the dominant force impacting Indiana.

“It’s all delta,” Calkins said. “We don’t have time to worry about the omicron. We have to deal with Delta. When omicron gets here, we’ll deal with it then.

What impact has IU Health’s immunization mandate had on staff shortages?

Weaver said only 125 of IU Health’s 36,000 employees left because they did not want to be vaccinated. Of those 125, only about 60 were full-time employees, he said.

“This has minimal impact on the staff problem we have and the ability to care for our patients,” Weaver said.

The biggest problem is the long-term shortage of nurses in Indiana and people retiring or leaving during the pandemic due to burnout.

“People are tired,” Weaver said. “It’s really hard to take care of a lot of people right now. It’s a great emotional strain dealing with people who are really, really sick, many of whom are dying. And the vast majority are not vaccinated.

How does this affect other patients?

Calkins said the number of COVID-19 patients was causing backups and forcing many people to wait for surgeries.

“We use the term elective surgery, but we don’t operate just for fun,” he said. “People need surgery because they need surgery, and we are delaying a lot of surgery.

“Several thousand people are likely close to undergoing surgery that cannot be operated on at the moment due to our COVID numbers and record-breaking census. “

However, Weaver added that people should always seek treatment if they are sick.

“We want to be clear about the strain on the health care system and how difficult it is now and how far everyone is stretched, and at the same time, we are meeting needs,” Weaver said. “So don’t avoid care if you need it, and I want to be clear about our confidence in the high quality of care we provide. “

Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, said COVID-19 has exceeded the capacity that health care systems were designed to treat in some cases.

“We are combating the ever-increasing trends in COVID-related hospitalizations, with many people going to the emergency room with behavioral health issues and trying to manage it all with fewer staff. And that’s the challenge. “said Tabor. “We want everyone to understand that we are stressed and ask for their patience when interacting with the system.”

Tabor said he was also concerned about patients with behavioral health needs or if there was some type of major incident.

“These things have happened over time, from natural disasters to other types of disasters,” he said. “And that would be really taxing on the system right now because we have a lot of full beds and a lot of very tired frontline caregivers.”

What about other hospital systems in Indiana?

WRTV’s Nikki DeMentri reported Wednesday on the fate of hospitals across the state, which are experiencing their highest number of hospitalizations that many doctors have ever seen.

“I didn’t expect us to be here at this point. I think we all had hoped that our vaccination rate would have increased enough that we were not at this point anymore, ”said Columbus Regional hospital medical director Dr Lee Kiser.

The Washington Post also reported Indiana is one of four states, along with Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, that are responsible for nearly half of the nation’s increase in hospitalizations related to COVID-19.

Tabor said the health system is currently working together “as one health system”. He said the administration of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has helped provide transportation and other resources when patients need to travel from a health system in a rural area to one in an urban area. .

“So right now everyone is working hand in hand to get patients to the right place at the right time,” Tabor said. “It’s tough, and it’s probably going to get harder, but we’re really working together.”

Should the state do more?

Micah Pollak, associate professor of economics at Indiana University Northwest, told WRTV last week that state and local leaders need to “shout from the rooftops” about the need for people to be vaccinated.

Pollak noted that the toll on healthcare workers is already more pronounced this year due to the high number of retirements and departures in the industry.

“I think we’re on the verge of not being able to integrate them where people are in the hospital as it is, and we are 1,000 people below where we were last winter,” said Pollak said. “I think a lot of people are out of touch with the health care system. If they realized how precarious the health care system is right now, that could make a difference. “

How to get out of this mess?

Weaver said he didn’t want to get into politics with the mask mandate, but he encouraged people to continue wearing masks in crowds and getting vaccinated.

“The best thing to do for this is get vaccinated for everyone who qualifies, which works out for most people 5 and over these days,” Weaver said. “Please get vaccinated. “

Tabor said the best thing for people to do is get vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu.

“Take whatever measures you can to protect yourself because not only will it help you, but it will also help someone in your family, a neighbor, a friend,” Tabor said. “This will ensure that if something happens to them, which may not be COVID, just an accident, they slip and fall. This will help relieve the pressure on the system so that they can get the best care and care they have. need we are used to coming here to Indiana from our hospitals. “

Andrew Smith, WRTV’s senior digital content producer, contributed to this report.