How Tri-Cities hospitals are coping, with peak in coronavirus cases yet to come

None of the three Tri-Cities hospitals have needed to use tents to handle an influx of suspected COVID-19 patients, said hospital representatives on Friday.

Officials from Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Lourdes Health in Pasco and Trios Health in Kennewick gave their first comprehensive look at a news conference Friday on how the hospitals are coping since the coronavirus outbreak began.

The number of cases continue to escalate in the Tri-Cities, with the Benton Franklin Health District officials saying they cannot predict when local cases may peak or at what numbers.

Kadlec has a tent ready at the emergency department of the Richland hospital, but has not needed to use it, said Reza Kaleel, chief executive of the Kadlec Health System.

Kadlec also has a tent at its central testing site at its urgent care center on Clearwater Avenue in Kennewick, which continues to be used for testing for respiratory symptom diagnosis.

The emergency department at the Richland hospital is seeing just 50 percent of the number of patients typical for this time of year, Kaleel said.

Reasons are numerous, but they include a switch to more appointments by video and telephone at Kadlec clinics and for appointments with specialists, he said.

The switch to virtual appointments was made in part to reduce the use of masks, gowns and other protective gear for healthcare workers who are in short supply now.

But the low number of emergency patients also is likely the result of people staying away from emergency rooms out of fear of being exposed to the new coronavirus, Kaleel said.

He urged people not to avoid seeking care if they need it.

At Lourdes Medical Center a tent was set up outside the emergency room entrance where all people coming into the Pasco hospital are screened for COVID-19.

Hospital officials were concerned that the small waiting room there would require some additional space to keep patients with COVID-19 separate from others, said Lisa Larson, spokeswoman for Lourdes in Pasco and Trios Health in Kennewick. Both are owned by LifePoint Health.

But the tent has been taken down after Lourdes has seen a drop in emergency and urgent care patients similar to Kadlec’s, she said.

Trios Southridge Hospital has a large waiting room, so no tent went up there, Larson said.

Hospital officials also were concerned about the safety of using a tent in the very windy weather of the Southridge area, she said.

But the Lourdes tent could be put up again or a tent could still go up at Trios if the need grows, she said.

All patients and staff are screened for symptoms of COVID-19 and have their temperatures taken as they arrive at the two hospitals, with just one entrance available at each hospital, she said.

Visitors are not allowed inside any of the Tri-City hospitals, with rare exceptions such as end-of-life visits.

Kadlec supplies

All three hospitals report having enough masks, gowns and other protective equipment for staff now, but it’s “a fluid situation” that the local health district is monitoring, said Rick Dawson with the Benton Franklin Health District.

“Today we are probably doing OK, but it is subject to change depending on patient volumes,” he said.

The hospitals are submitting orders that are being processed through the state emergency management system and also are working through their regular supply chain to keep supplies in stock, he said.

“This week we are feeling a lot better than we were even a week ago,” Kaleel said.

International orders placed by Providence, Kadlec’s nonprofit owner, several weeks ago are arriving now, and production of equipment is ramping up across the nation.

Canceling nonessential surgeries also has helped preserve not only protective gear for staff who may come in contact with COVID-19 patients, but also made more space and staff available for COVID-19 patients, Kaleel said.

The hospital now is using just a small percentage of the ventilators it has on hand, he said. Kadlec is licensed for 337 hospital beds, but is using about 60 percent now.

Although Kaleel did not say if or how many Kadlec staff were among the 100 known healthcare workers in the Tri-Cities area who had COVID-19, absentee rates due to illness at Kadlec are no more than usual, he said.

Some Kadlec staff are not working because some departments have closed or reduced services because of the new coronavirus outbreak, but their salaries are being paid through April.

Supplies for testing for the new coronavirus continue to limit tests to hospital patients with respiratory symptoms and healthcare providers, who pose a risk of spreading the virus to patients if the come down with COVID-19.

On Friday, Kadlec began validating a new rapid testing method that will allow it to analyze patient samples on site and provide results in five to 15 minutes, Kaleel said.

But Kadlec only has been able to obtain a small number of the supplies needed for the rapid test, he said.

Trios and Lourdes

Trios and Lourdes also are “feeling very good” about their supplies of protective gear, such as masks and gowns, for staff, Larson said.

“All hospitals are a little bit worried about what that might look like down the line,” she said. “Right now we are very comfortable with where we are in terms of protective gear.”

Everyone in the hospitals is wearing masks, whether they work with patients or not, to keep those around them safe, Larson said.

It also has moved to more video and telephone appointments to preserve personal protective equipment for staff who may come in contact with COVID-19 patients.

The Kennewick and Lourdes hospitals are strictly following all protocols of the Centers for Disease Control to keep patients safe. It also is closely following what hospitals in Western Washington are doing related to COVID-19, to learn from the experience there as local hospitals prepare for any surge in cases, Larson said.

The outbreak started earlier in Western Washington and may have peaked there, at least for now, as people follow social distancing measures.

The state had about 50 deaths, most in Western Washington, before the first death from complications of COVID-19 was reported in the Tri-Cities on April 15. The Tri-Cities death toll has since risen to 27, with Benton County reporting the third highest number in the state.

Kadlec surgeries

Kadlec is making plans to resume elective surgeries as soon as the state allows it.

Gov. Jay Inslee issued an order March 19 ending elective surgeries such as joint replacements and cataract removal to preserve personal protective equipment. The order remains in effect until May 18.

What is being called elective surgery, includes many types of surgeries that are not immediately critical but are not described well by the term “elective,” Kaleel said.

The hospital wants to resume some surgeries, such as certain heart procedures, as soon as reasonably possible and allowed by state law without using too much of its personal protective equipment, Kaleel said.

This story was originally published April 11, 2020 at 1:39 PM.