Delta variant in Holyoke
Two positive COVID-19 tests conducted by Melissa Memorial Hospital have been confirmed to be the delta variant.
CEO Cathy Harshbarger reported the news to the East Phillips County Hospital District Board of Directors at its regular meeting Tuesday, Aug. 24.
She said it takes about two weeks to get the delta variant results back, and other tests are still pending.
The delta variant is highly contagious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta variant spreads more easily than previous COVID-19 variants and may cause more than two times as many infections.
The CDC said that some data also suggests the delta variant might cause more severe illness than previous variants in unvaccinated people.
There are new signs up at MMH and Family Practice of Holyoke asking those in the facility to wear masks — regardless of vaccination status — due to the presence of the delta variant in the community.
Harshbarger was pleased to report that MMH has been able to increase its number of COVID-19 vaccine clinics now that it has more freedom to dispose of unused doses.
62% of MMH staff members are not vaccinated
As of last Tuesday’s meeting, mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for employees at health care facilities were being reviewed at the state and federal level.
On Aug. 17, Gov. Jared Polis urged the State Board of Health to quickly engage in a rulemaking to require the COVID-19 vaccine for personnel staffing vulnerable populations and places where people receive essential medical care.
Harshbarger told the board that 62% of MMH staff members or providers (75 people) are not vaccinated either by choice or by exemption and 39% (47 employees) have been vaccinated by choice.
Employees have cited strong reasons for their concerns, said Harshbarger. Some of the reasons include the freedom of choice, the newness of the vaccine and lack of Food and Drug Administration approval, adverse effects and how employees would be covered related to workers’ compensation and sick time, and counter-information that creates uncertainty concerning the efficacy and risks.
She noted that some staff members have become more comfortable with the COVID-19 vaccine as time goes by.
Harshbarger said the plan is to meet with unvaccinated employees, offer testimonies from vaccinated staff members, gather data and share it with staff, and reach out to per diem employees who might not have been present for other staff meetings.
“As a leader, I want to hear people, but I have a big obligation to mandates” that may be handed down from the state, said Harshbarger.
“Am I concerned about losing staff? Yes,” she said.
Board hears from Kinner regarding COVID-19 vaccines
MMH employee Julie Kinner addressed the board during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting.
Kinner has been closely following COVID-19 vaccine research, and “what I have seen is very concerning.”
She distributed data that cites there have been 13,068 deaths and 595,622 adverse reactions associated with the COVID-19 vaccine from December 2020 to Aug. 13, 2021, according to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
That same chart reported that there have been 8,871 deaths associated with all other vaccines combined since 1990.
Kinner also told board members that it’s possible that information is being supressed. “It’s scary that we’re not seeing the whole story,” she said.
Other concerns she brought forward are the hospital’s liability, the laws around informed consent for those in a medical experiment and the possibility of Colorado making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for those who work in health care.
“I think it should be a choice,” Kinner said.
Other business
In other business at the Aug. 24 meeting, the board:
— Approved spending $7,000 for an ambulance with 39,000 miles (including a Stryker stair chair) and up to $56,000 for a VersaCare cardiac rehab telemetry system.
— Noted that the MRI trailer will need to be replaced in fiscal year 2022 due to multiple compressor failures.
— Noted that the new hospital beds are now in place and a new portable digital X-ray machine has also arrived.
— Discussed the nationwide nursing shortage.
— Celebrated that the Caravan Health accountable care organization final report was received, and after qualifying for 100% of the shared savings, MMH will get $67,869.
— Heard a July financial report from Chief Financial Officer David Applewood, which included $1.7 million in total revenue, $1.7 million in total expenses and $9,300 in net income for the month, bringing the year-to-date total revenue to $13.9 million and the year-to-date net income to a loss of $15,000 without taking into account the funds from Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness.
— Heard a Quality Committee report from Director of Quality Karen Hooker.
— Reviewed Policy 2.8 regarding compensation and benefits and Governance Policy 3.1 regarding unity of control.
— Approved credentialing for three initial applications and six reappointments.
— Held a 32-minute executive session for personnel reasons.