The National Guard recently delivered much-needed medical supplies to all of Iowa’s 99 counties. As Sheila Brummer reports on one medical group seeing even more need.
The doctor in charge of Siouxland’s only family medicine residency program says there is a critical shortage of personal protective equipment or PPE.
“That is why I’m asking the public to be respectful and stay home. Because that is one thing they can do to minimize the risk to my nurses, my receptionists my staff because they can’t stay home.”
Dr. Amy Rief-Elks is Program Director of the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation.
“In February I thought of nothing of putting on a surgical mask going in and doing a C-Section coming out taking off and putting in the trash and getting a new one. I have never, ever, saved my mask so covertly in my car because I needed to and kept it for two weeks straight because that is my mask for the month. I told my employees you need to 'keep this and guard it with your life'.”
Rief-Elks says the number of positive numbers in the area only look good because test results are lagging from a week up to nine days and we won’t see the full peak in Iowa for another week and a half or longer.
There are four positive cases in Woodbury County
“I don’t want people kind of get lax thinking, oh, it’s not bad here, I’m going to start ignoring the rules.”
“Overall I have been happy with the Siouxland community in simply doing what they can. And, the number one thing they can do is STAY AT HOME."
Currently Dr. Rief-Elks’ staff is using staggering scheduled and eliminating rounds between medical facilities to limit potential exposure to the virus.
She expects to receive more PPE by the end of the week.