GREEN BAY (NBC26) — With COVID-19 cases in Northeast Wisconsin higher than they've ever been, doctors are struggling to take care of everyone.
Bellin Hospital is at 94 percent capacity today. Jim Dietsche, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Bellin Health, says they're making efforts to expand, adding beds and bringing in more staff.
“This situation is real, and it’s becoming dire," said Dietsche.
And it's not just Bellin; all hospitals in the area are sharing the burden. Thedacare's beds are 95 percent full, said Dr. Imran Andrabi, President and CEO of Thedacare.
"Four weeks ago, I had 13 COVID-19 patients in our hospitals," said Andrabi. "Today I have 64. That's a six-fold increase in the number of people admitted."
“This is not a competitive situation," said Dietsche. "This is a community situation. And we all rally together.”
On top of that, community spread is hurting staffing at hospitals, said Dietsche. There just aren't enough people to serve all the patients being treated for COVID-19, as well as those in for other emergencies like heart attacks and strokes. 250 Thedacare workers were not able to show up to work today because of potential exposure, said Andrabi.
"If our people and team members are going to get infected and they're not going to be able to do the work that they need to do to serve the people of our community, then it creates a very difficult situation for us," said Andrabi.
