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State officials have denied a request from Austin-Travis County health officials to help set up an alternative care center amid a continued surge in hospital numbers for COVID-19 patients.
In an unsigned email Tuesday received by the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services Incident Command told local leaders that they are currently focusing on helping hospitals provide health workers to help.
“The priority right now is to meet the hospital’s staffing needs in order to expand within the hospital walls,” the email read. The message was from a general incident command address and did not include the author’s name.
Texas declined requests for additional nurses and assistance. Then came the COVID-19 surge.
In an interview, National Health Service spokesman Chris Van Deusen said: “We have found that it is better to care for people in hospital who need hospital care. We want to maximize that before moving to other types of facilities. “
The answer came after local officials asked the state on Friday for help setting up an alternate foster home in the Travis County Expo Center’s banquet room to help hospitals. COVID-19 patients who need hospital – but not intensive care – would go there.
Austin breaks record for COVID patients in intensive care beds
Austin on Wednesday had the highest number of ICU patients across the region with coronavirus-related illness since the pandemic started last spring, according to the latest data from Austin’s coronavirus dashboard.
More:Texas Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19
On Wednesday afternoon, Austin Public Health reported that 223 people were in the intensive care unit, 145 of them on ventilators. In a request for assistance, local officials said they were requesting a capacity of about 50 patients with the possibility of growing to 100.
“The current capacities of the hospital system are being exceeded, which leads to longer waiting times at the door and waiting times for patients in emergency rooms,” the application said. “The hospitals have postponed non-life threatening emergency surgeries to meet this demand. Nevertheless, they are overwhelmed. “
More:Austin breaks the record for the third day with 223 people in intensive care units with coronavirus, data shows
The statesman reported last week that in July local leaders asked the state for hundreds of nurses to add to hospitals in Austin and across central Texas as the summer wave began. The state initially declined, saying Texas cities and counties had received approximately $ 10 billion in federal COVID-19 aid and should use the funds for nurses.
But last week, Governor Greg Abbott, who tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, instead announced that the state would provide up to 2,500 nurses, including about 300 in the Austin area. State officials also said last week that they would help build and staff an infusion center at the exhibition center so that COVID-19 patients could receive therapeutic medication.
The state health department previously worked with local executives to set up an alternative care location at the Austin Convention Center.
Travis County spokesman Hector Nieto said Wednesday that local officials, including health department Dr. Desmar Walkes, “went direct to the state of Texas with this request because they have built-in networks, institutional knowledge and leverage to negotiate the best possible contracts.
“The state supported us in a similar situation last year,” he said, “and we were hoping we could work with them again.”
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