The CEO of a large eastern Kentucky hospital has released a statement pleading with people to wear masks as coronavirus (COVID-19) hospitalizations spike in the area.
Kristie Whitlatch, President and CEO of King’s Daughters Medical Center, a 465-bed hospital in Ashland, released the statement on Tuesday where she says, “Our hospital is at capacity. We are working to open a third nursing unit to care for COVID patients.”
Boyd County, with a population of 47,000, has had 408 coronavirus cases diagnosed (compared to Grayson County’s 444 cases and 27,000 population), but the hospital serves a wide swath of far eastern Kentucky. Additionally, Boyd County has seen a recent surge in cases – 120 new positives over the last seven days, according to Whitlatch. Boyd and bordering Greenup County, as well as Lewis County (just north of Boyd County) are in the “orange” zone, indicating “accelerated” growth of the virus.
Whitlatch’s full statement:
Today, I’m writing to you with a sense of urgency and am asking for your assistance and cooperation. It has been my goal as the King’s Daughters CEO to be open, honest and transparent to help build and establish your trust. Now, I am asking you to trust me as I ask for your cooperation as COVID is intensely surging in our communities. No longer can we say it is primarily impacting those with underlying health conditions or nursing home residents.
It is attacking babies, children and healthy, active men and women who have no idea how they were exposed. We are also seeing difficult recoveries, many taking months to fully recover and some who have yet to fully recover and may see the impact for the rest of their lives.
Our infectious disease specialists and other medical professionals are very concerned at how quickly and widely COVID-19 is spreading locally. Not in some big city but our hometowns. At King’s Daughters, our numbers and trend lines are continuing to surge upward. We have had 22 COVID related deaths to date and over 120 new positive cases just this week.
Our hospital is at capacity. We are working to open a third nursing unit to care for COVID patients. Multiple nursing units dedicated to one virus are unprecedented in our 120-year history. Many of these patients are very ill and many of our physicians, nurses and support team have been struck by the virus.
I understand people have differing opinions, but we know for a fact it is dangerous and deadly because we live it every day. We must take this seriously. To help stop the surge:
- Wear a mask in public.
- Practice social distancing.
- Stay at home as much as possible.
- Avoid gatherings.
- Wash your hands.
I also ask for your prayers and/or words of encouragement for our heroes behind the masks. However, today I would add these heroes are not just our team members or other medical professionals. If you are wearing your mask and following the other guidelines you are our heroes too. By following the simple guidelines above, you can help stop the surge.
(Photo of Kristie Whitlatch courtesy of The Daily Independent)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
