West Michigan’s Spectrum Health is adapting to rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the region.
The health system’s hospitals have converted surgery beds into ICU beds. Some are requiring staff to take on extra shifts.
Dr. Darryl Elmouchi is president of Spectrum Health West Michigan.
“Walking through our units, it is very hard to see, and when you talk to some of our doctors and nurses, they’ve never taken care of this many very sick patients at the same time,” said Elmouchi.
Elmouchi says that COVID patients who need intensive care are sicker than they were in the spring. He says that could be because better treatments are helping people with less severe cases recover faster... and therefore, avoid being in the ICU.
The health system is currently caring for 345 hospitalized COVID patients. Leaders there say that number could more than double by early December.