Mission Critical Care

Good morning.

In last Friday’s VC Notes, I highlighted some of the external assistance that has come to Mississippi to help manage the strain placed on hospitals and health systems state wide, most notably ours, by the surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant. Today, I’d like to provide a little more detail about the current, past and planned assistance deployments to UMMC’s campus.

Before I get to that, I’m happy to report that the start of the academic year has gone off “without incident” so far, according to Dr. Ralph Didlake, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs. Classes have mostly returned to normal operations with active safety measures, where possible. Dr. Didlake reports there have been no COVID-19 outbreaks among our students, which we certainly hope continues.

Now, on to today’s topic.

During the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, UMMC has worked closely with the Mississippi State Department of Health. I think Dr. Thomas Dobbs, state health officer, and the MSDH teams have done an amazing job serving Mississippi during this public health crisis. It’s been a pleasure to collaborate with MSDH in any endeavor where we brought value. 

As a result of recent MSDH and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency efforts, a number of external resources have been accepted in Mississippi intended to help mitigate operational and patient care issues created by the surge of Mississippians needing medical intervention due to COVID-19-related symptoms and/or complications.    

That assistance has taken the following forms:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance Team
  • requested by MSDH, MEMA, and the Office of the Governor
  • utilized in Garage B-based alternate care facility, staffing beds for adults with COVID-19 (non-ICU)
  • dates of engagement 8/12/21 – 8/23/21
  • paid by federal funds 

• U.S. Public Health Service nurses
  • requested by MSDH, MEMA and the Office of the Governor
  • utilized in Garage B-based alternate care facility, staffing outpatient monoclonal antibody clinic
  • dates of engagement 8/12/21 – 9/12/21
  • paid by federal funds

• Samaritan’s Purse International Relief
  • requested by Office of the Governor
  • utilized in Garage C-based alternate care facility, staffing COVID-19 ICU and adult med-surg beds
  • dates of engagement 8/16/21 – 9/13/21 (or TBD)
  • volunteer staff or paid by Samaritan’s Purse organization 

• U.S. Joint Task Force Civil Support medical team
  • requested by MSDH, MEMA and the Office of the Governor
  • utilized in UMMC hospital units, as determined by our needs (due to staff shortages or call outs) according to the clinical expertise of each team member
  • dates of engagement 8/22/21 – 9/19/21 (or TBD – they could be extended)
  • paid by federal funds 

• MEMA-directed contract staffing
  • requested by MSDH, MEMA and the Office of the Governor
  • team size and deployment date not yet set
  • planned placement in UMMC hospital units, including those caring for patients with COVID-19, as determined by our needs (to relieve UMMC staff) according to the clinical expertise of each team member
  • anticipated 60-day engagement
  • paid by MEMA and reimbursed by federal funds

We are appreciative of these external resources to help UMMC and all Mississippi hospitals manage this crisis we are facing.  

As I have said many times, I am profoundly grateful to all members of the UMMC family for all you have done and endured the last twenty months. No one has been left untouched by the pandemic.  EVERYONE has faced personal and professional challenges during this time.

In many ways to me, this time period has been a blur. At moments, the days and weeks rush together like a fast-moving train – and at other moments, time feels as if it is standing still.

Those of you on the frontline, especially nurses, have been impacted most forcefully. You have given deeply from your heart and soul and you have made a tremendous difference. Many others who aren’t working on the frontline have also shouldered long hours, increased pressures, new responsibilities and unexpected challenges. We have all been placed in uncomfortable circumstances and uncharted territory.

I am certain our lives will be forever changed in ways not yet visible by the experiences of this pandemic. I am hopeful that, in the end, the silver linings will outweigh the tough times. Even now, for all of the talk about high numbers of new cases identified daily and the record numbers of COVID-19-related hospitalizations statewide, I still like to look at and marvel at how many people with COVID have entered and been able to discharge from UMMC – 4,370 as of this morning.

I wish I could tell you when this will be over – but I can’t. Honestly, COVID may be with us for a while for a variety of reasons. But we must press on and use any resources or options that come our way.

What can we do? 

• Get vaccinated, and wear a mask when appropriate.
• Accept that the challenges of this pandemic may be our reality for longer than we first expected. We have to realize we don’t know where the finish line is, but keep running the race.
• Continue to support each other. (I touched on this in a recent VC Notes.)
• Continue to plan and prepare for the post pandemic future of UMMC. I remain optimistic that we will emerge stronger than ever. 

We cannot change the realities the pandemic presents. The stress, strain, fatigue, frustration and anger many are feeling is understandable.  We have to continue to care for as many patients as we can in the best way we can. Realizing the limitations of our own workforce and faced with continued pressing demand, we have three actions to consider. 

Those are:

• Accept outside resources available to us and use them to the best of our ability to ease the demands on our UMMC nurses and staff, and/or
• Make the deliberate decision to close beds, and/or
• Modify staffing ratios (and/or staffing levels).

We have chosen to accept help from the outside resources outlined above in an effort to provide the most care for the greatest number of patients, which is our mission. We are prepared to consider and implement one or both of the other measures as noted above if the situation requires such action.

Please stay tuned. Keep the faith.  Despite the craziness, I hear time and time again from grateful patients about the quality of their care and the expertise of the caregivers. Take care of yourselves and each other.  We WILL get through this one day at a time. #UMMCStrong

Thank you.