Some South Dakotans With COVID Flown Out of State Amidst Alarming ICU Scarcity

South Dakota’s 3 major hospitals– Avera McKennan, Sanford USD Medical Center, and Monument Health Rapid City Healthcare facility– are supposedly having a hard time to find area for their critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Both Sanford USD Medical Center and Monolith Health Rapid City Medical facility reported their intensive care units are out of area. Avera McKennan reported just 6.7 percent of its ICU beds are offered on December 2.

As a result, some South Dakotans are being flown out of state for treatment.

Robert J. Sliper, a COVID-19 client and South Dakota local, was transported to Colorado– over 340 miles away from his house– in November after regional medical facilities claimed they didn’t have the space to look after him, according to a report by the Rapid City Journal

Prior to the pandemic, a number of South Dakota’s medical facilities were limited as some rural citizens anticipated to travel a great distance to reach the nearest healthcare facility. As the state manages a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, South Dakota’s medical facilities are lacking space and staff.

South Dakota healthcare facilities are diverting COVID-19 clients as the state manages the rise in cases. An indication reading “COVID is getting old” is seen on April 23, 2020 in Rapid City, South Dakota, amid the unique coronavirus pandemic.
Picture by KEREM YUCEL/AFP by means of Getty Images

Avera Health, which owns Avera McKennan and over a lots small hospitals across South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, initiated its coronavirus surge plan.

The strategy included medical facilities doubling their ICU capability by postponing some non-emergency surgical treatments, cross-training medical facility staff to work with COVID-19 clients, and repurposing other areas into ICUs, Dr. David Basel, Avera’s vice president of scientific quality, told the Journal

The majority of medical facilities connected with Avera Health are “at, near or above” capability to treat COVID-19 clients, said Basel. The vice president continued keeping in mind Avera Health is seeing a reduction in its available labor force as 200 to 300 of Avera’s 17,000 staff members are out due to COVID-19 direct exposure or infection.

In the meantime, the healthcare facility will divert clients to other hospitals.

South Dakota reported an average of 98 brand-new day-to-day cases this past week.

Avera McKennan, Sanford USD Medical Center and Monolith Health Rapid City Healthcare facility didn’t react to Newsweek’s demand for remark in time for publication.

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