WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — "We are certainly experiencing some burnout, and like I tell people all the time - it's one thing if you can leave COVID at the office; this goes home with you," Dr. Susan Ward-Jones of the East Arkansas Family Health Center said.
Dr. Ward-Jones said that COVID strain and stress is intensifying again for she and her staff.
Active COVID cases in Crittenden County skyrocketed from 22 to a new high of 367 in just the past month.
"We are seeing a bunch more come in, especially people who are symptomatic. We try to do screening at the door," Dr. Ward-Jones said.
Monday, the same day COVID hospitalizations in Arkansas also set a new record high, those in the city of West Memphis, AR, posted that residents not go to Baptist Memorial Crittenden Hospital for COVID - but a clinic or doctor's office instead.
"We don't want to overwhelm that hospital setting when we have local practitioners in town," West Memphis Emergency Management Director DeWayne Rose said.
"We are seeing some of the highest volumes that we've ever seen in our emergency department," Baptist Crittenden CEO Brian Welton said of the 11-bed facility, which opened in late 2018.
"Last week, we saw about 83 patients in our emergency department. Prior to COVID, in the early stages of the pandemic, we were seeing around 60 a day," Welton added.
On top of that, the West Memphis area continues to lag in vaccinations, with less than 30% of the population fully vaccinated.
"Those children, a lot of them are 12 and under, so they can't get vaccinated. So we are their support. We are the ones who have to protect them," Rose added.
Dr. Ward-Jones also said Tuesday the ongoing pandemic continues to impact patients coming in for routine checkups and preventative care, including cancer screenings.
Tuesday afternoon, a Baptist spokesperson released this statement:
"It’s important for the public to understand hospital capacity is fluid and changes frequently because patients are admitted and discharged throughout the day. So the number of available beds now may change by the time they’re reported. We also have the ability to make adjustments within the hospital and with staffing through surge planning, telemedicine resources and equipment to accommodate changing needs.
What it is really important for the public and patients to know is we will take care of them in an emergency. We always have, and we will continue to make a way to care for our community. However, we need the community’s help in reducing the load on our health care system. To help us continue to provide the highest quality of care for you and the community, we encourage you to use the emergency department for situations you deem emergent or urgent."