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

South Dakota’s 3 major medical facilities– Avera McKennan, Sanford USD Medical Center, and Monolith Health Rapid City Hospital– are apparently struggling to discover area for their seriously ill COVID-19 clients.

Robert J. Sliper, a COVID-19 patient and South Dakota local, was carried to Colorado– over 340 miles away from his house– in November after regional medical facilities declared they didn’t have the area to care for him, according to a report by the Rapid City Journal

Before the pandemic, numerous of South Dakota’s medical facilities were restricted as some rural locals anticipated to take a trip a fantastic range to reach the nearest medical facility.

South Dakota health centers are diverting COVID-19 clients as the state manages the rise in cases. A sign reading “COVID is getting old” is seen on April 23, 2020 in Rapid City, South Dakota, in the middle of the unique coronavirus pandemic.
Picture by KEREM YUCEL/AFP through Getty Images

The strategy included medical facilities doubling their ICU capacity by holding off some non-emergency surgeries, cross-training healthcare facility personnel to work with COVID-19 patients, and repurposing other spaces into ICUs, Dr. David Basel, Avera’s vice president of scientific quality, informed the Journal

A lot of hospitals associated with Avera Health are “at, near or above” capacity to deal with COVID-19 clients, said Basel.

In the meantime, the medical facility will divert patients to other hospitals.

South Dakota reported an average of 98 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 request for comment in time for publication.