Unity-Point Health-St. Luke’s is once again urging the Siouxland community to step up and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Siouxland Public Media reached out to Sioux City’s two hospitals today after concerns on social media that patients were being transferred to other facilities. One post on Twitter that appears to be from a lung expert in central Iowa said “Patients are coming to Des Moines from Sioux City to Davenport.”
UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s says similar to other hospitals they have been operating at near capacity for the past few weeks, but continue to accept patients. Inpatient numbers are fluid and frequently fluctuate as patients get discharged or transferred to another unit. In some cases, patients are transferred based on the level of care needed.
Again, hospital leaders urge the public to wear masks, social distance, stay home when sick and get immunized for the flu. Their statement repeated one sent to Siouxland Public Media two weeks ago that says “the community needs to understand the challenges we are facing real and urgent”.
Siouxland District Health reported today Sioux City’s two hospital are jointly taking care of 92 patients, with 66 battling COVID-19 only. The level has been above 90 for the past few days. In late May, the two facilities saw a high of 95 patients. One month ago, there were a total of 67 patients. There were 52 in the middle of September.
Full statement from UnityPoint Health-St. Luke's:
“Similar to other hospitals, UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s has been operating near capacity for the past few weeks, but we continue to accept patients. Our inpatient numbers are fluid and frequently fluctuate as patients get discharged or are transferred to another unit. In some cases, based on the acuity level of the patient, this could also mean a patient might need to be transferred to another hospital. These transfers are looked at on a case by case basis and take into account many factors including what is in the best interest of the patient.
The Siouxland community needs to understand that the challenges we are facing are very real and urgent. Protect your family, your community and local health care workers - We need Siouxland to step up and slow the spread. The consequences could be dire if we get to the point of not having enough beds or staff, resulting in very difficult decisions to be made. Wear your mask, social distance, stay home when sick, and get your flu shot. This is serious – we need everyone to do their part and do it now.”
