COOS BAY, Ore. — Coronavirus cases in Oregon are growing daily. Still, Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay has zero patients, but they know it's just a matter of time until they get one. The hospital is preparing for a surge in coronavirus cases.
“It’s kind of an eerie time. We anticipate this big surge of patients coming in, and right now we can see it coming but it’s not quite here yet," said Kelli Dion with Bay Area Hospital.
The coronavirus has yet to reach the small coastal town of Coos Bay, or Coos County and its population of about 64,000.
“Our whole town is located a little bit off the beaten path, so that serves us well in that we are not having as many cases as the more densely populated areas,” Dion said.
She said the isolation works both in their favor and gives them challenges.
“It can make it harder to get resources, transfer patients out if that’s something we need to do," Dion explained.
She said while they don’t have everything they need to combat a surge, they’ve made changes to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) resources.
"We’ve adopted the crisis guidance published by the CDC for reusing masks and extended use of masks," Dion said.
Bay Area Hospital is the largest in-patient facility in Coos County. They have nine ventilators but they're ready to use other respiratory equipment if necessary. They’ve also enlisted the help of the community for handmade masks. The hospital has also turned to unconventional ways to get PPE, like through unvetted vendors and distributors they wouldn’t normal use.
"That’s kind of the biggest stress right now. We don’t want to run out and have our health care providers in a position where they don’t have adequate protection," Dion said.
She said the hospital is bracing itself for a COVID-19 surge. calling it the calm before the storm.
"Like the tsunami alarms are going off, and horns are blaring and we know there is a tsunami off the coast and it’s not quite here yet," Dion said.
Bay Area Hospital has run 47 tests to date -- all have been negative.