Week 37 Newsletter

(12/21/20) Federal Data Reveal Which Hospitals Are Dangerously Full This Week. Is Yours?
This article from NPR highlights a new tool, utilizing analysis from the University of Minnesota COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project of recent federal government data to show current inpatient and intensive care unit beds available in hospitals throughout the United States.

(12/18/20) California Sees Record 379 Coronavirus Deaths As ICU Capacity Plummets
Intensive care unit capacity in southern California has reached 0%, with nearly all patients in hospitals being hospitalized for COVID-19. Capacity is reaching crisis levels as deaths rise to record highs.

(12/18/20) Newly Released COVID-19 Data Show Most US Cities Are ‘Sustained Hotspots’
As the first health care workers in the US receive vaccinations for COVID-19, infections are still rampant throughout the country, and the pandemic will likely continue for months.

(12/18/20) No More ICU Beds at the Main Public Hospital in the Nation’s Largest County
An article from Kaiser Health News covering the current intensive care unit capacity issues in Los Angeles county, California. The Los Angeles county is the largest county by population in the United States, and the largest public hospital within the county is running out of available space to treat patients.

(12/17/20) Officials Stress That the Pandemic ‘Is Not Over Yet’ as US Vaccinations Begin
Although vaccinations for COVID-19 have begun with priority populations in the United States, there is still widespread uncontrolled infection. As vaccine supply is limited, health officials are urging resiliency and patience in adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

(12/16/20) US Cases Up 51% in 1 Month; Surges Slow in Some Midwest States — 6 COVID-19 Updates
This COVID-19 update post from Becker’s Hospital Review highlights the increase in cases by 51% in just one month, as well as shifts in infection from the midwest and efforts by California to prepare for more deaths.

(12/17/20) These Neurologists Dealt With COVID-19 in So Many Different Ways – Their Most Valuable Lessons Learned
In this article from NeurologyToday, neurologists from the federal government, academic medical centers, and private employment offer advice on the ways they have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic in their field, as well as lessons learned.

(12/16/20) COVID-19 Shocks the US Health Sector: A Review of Early Economic Impacts
Newly released information from the National Health Expenditure Accounts from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows the COVID-19 pandemic has had massive impacts on the United States health care sector. Growth in spending in hospitals declined as hospital prices accelerated, and the long-term care industry saw declines in nursing home spending and increases in home health spending, among other findings

(12/10/20) Another COVID-19 Effect: Hospital-at-home Care Is Starting to Pick Up
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in hospital-at-home care, with patients opting to receive treatment they otherwise would have gone to the hospital for in their own home settings. With hospital-at-home seen as a potentially safer mechanism for delivering health care, more hospitals and health insurance companies are offering it as a covered treatment option.

(12/18/20) Only 7 of Stanford’s First 5,000 Vaccines Were Designated for Medical Residents
Medical residents are an essential workforce treating patients infected with COVID-19, however their needs are not always prioritized by health systems. An investigation from ProPublica found that medical residents were not prioritized for vaccination over physicians who do not usually treat patients.

(12/21/20) US Healthcare Workers Protest Chaos in Hospitals’ Vaccine Rollout
Health care providers at multiple hospital systems throughout the United States are expressing frustration and protesting current vaccine distribution plans. Some hospitals have blamed poorly-functioning technology as a reason providers are unable to book appointments or have been overlooked for priority.

(12/19/20) As the Pandemic Rages, Demoralization Deflates Health Care Workers
This opinion piece published in STAT discusses some of the impacts of “moral injuries” to health care workers caused by the sustained surges in hospitalizations and other difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conflicting experiences within their field and the general public are causing some workers increased stress and potentially driving them to leave health care.

(12/18/20) Hospitals Grow Tense Over Who Gets Vaccinated, How It’s Decided
As hospitals make decisions regarding vaccine prioritization, some have come under fire for prioritizing high-ranking providers who do not typically treat patients over providers working directly with patients.

(12/17/20) Some Health Care Workers Are Getting the Vaccine. Others Aren’t. Who Decides?
Health care workers across the United States are waiting for information on when they will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. With broad federal guidance, many states and hospital systems themselves have set more specific protocols, however smaller clinics and emergency responders are worried they will be forgotten.

(12/17/20) VA Health Care Workers Feeling Pandemic Burnout: ‘We Don’t See the Light at the End of the Tunnel’
This article from Federal News Network discusses frustration and burnout among health care providers at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Health care workers across the nation are leaving their positions amid sustained difficulties throughout the pandemic.

(12/16/20) Navigating the COVID-19 Pandemic by Caring for Our Health Care Workforce As They Care for Our Patients
This research article published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the innovations and prioritizations made by Stanford Medicine in their earliest response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stanford Medicine made effective use of an Occupational Health Team to reduce workforce transmission of the virus, and offers multiple suggestions for improving workforce safety.

(12/15/20) Nursing, Doctor and Hospital Groups Urge Health Workers to Take COVID-19 Vaccine
National groups representing nurses, doctors, and hospitals are urging all health care providers to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible. The American Nurses Association, American Medical Association, and American Hospital Association are seeking to overcome opposition to a vaccine and help protect doctors, nurses, and patients.

(12/14/20) Current Status of Federal and California Telehealth Policy During COVID-19
A video from the Center for Connected Health Policy, featuring Executive Director Mei Wa Kwong outlines the current status of federal regulation of telehealth, as well as regulation in the state of California. 

(12/19/20) ‘I Failed’: Operation Warp Speed Leader Takes Responsibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Confusion
Governors of multiple states have complained of receiving fewer COVID-19 vaccines than originally promised from the federal government. The leader of Operation Warp Speed, General Gustave Perna, states he takes responsibility for communication issues and that there should be no further issues with production or distribution of the vaccines.

(12/18/20) Oregon Health Insurers Agree to Keep Paying for Telehealth Through June 2021
Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services has announced an agreement with major insurance plans in Oregon to continue coverage for telehealth services at least through June 2021, after the state experienced rapid growth in telehealth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

(12/16/20) VA Is Increasingly Leaning on Contract Nurses As COVID-19 Cases Surge
The federal Veterans Affairs Department is hiring tens of thousands of workers, including contract nurses, in order to meet demands of surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, including infection and hospitalization of VA staff. Even amid the hiring surge there are still tens of thousands of vacancies within the VA system, with employees and groups representing them detailing the strain.