Many of you have seen the reports about the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in Hawaii, which is still relatively modest.
In Hawaii, we have among the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the country, and the second-lowest death rate. This is a testament to efforts by the entire state, and we should be proud of that.
The bigger concern is what we are seeing on the mainland, with almost every state reporting material increases in COVID infections, hospitalizations and deaths. The United States recorded 250,000 deaths from this pandemic recently, and the numbers keep climbing.
Our health care situation is vulnerable, particularly in regard to staffing. Gov. David Ige and the state Department of Health used $17 million in CARES Act money to bring in mainland-based health care staff. These nurses, respiratory therapists and LPNs are helping to keep Hawaii’s hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other health care organizations from being overwhelmed. We also received federal support for staffing at two of our Oahu facilities for which we are very grateful.
The CARES Act funding paying for the staffing has to be spent by the end of this year, and we do not have access to additional funding for 2021 at this time. This is why it is important to contain community spread now.
Our health care organizations were close to being overwhelmed in August and September, when Hawaii’s COVID levels plateaued at 300-plus cases daily and we had nearly 300 COVID-positive patients in hospitals. Many thousands of talented and dedicated health-care workers put in long hours for months while running the risk of exposing themselves and their families to the virus. They did this, and continue to do this, because they are committed professionals who care about the people of Hawaii.
During this peak period, our health care system embarked on a number of strategies to cope with the influx of patients. Hospitals transferred patients to other hospitals that had open beds, and discharged patients no longer needing hospital care to skilled nursing facilities, or back home, or to other settings.
Administrative staff with clinical credentials were pressed into patient care, staff worked countless hours of overtime, and calls were made to the community for personnel with clinical credentials. All these efforts combined to help us avoid a tragedy and to ensure that patients and residents continued to receive the care they needed.
Now, with the hospitalizations down but COVID levels rising again, we are at a particularly vulnerable time.
There is a direct correlation between COVID-19 spread in the community, and spread in our hospitals and long-term care facilities. As the rate of infection in the community increases, the rate of COVID-19 infections in hospitals and long-term care facilities increase also.
If we want to keep COVID out of these settings, we need to decrease the infection rate in our community.
And we need to do this even as our state opens up to tourism, and as the holidays approach, when families and friends want to gather.
It is up to us, our co-workers, our friends and our ohana to do all that we can to ensure that Hawaii does not experience again what the rest of the nation is dealing with right now. The calvary may not be there for us, but we can be there for each other this holiday season.
We can continue to wear masks when in public. We can continue to wash our hands frequently. We can continue to practice social distancing. We can avoid large groups and gatherings, and meet outdoors in well-ventilated areas as much as possible. We can get our flu shots, and we can continue to seek appropriate preventative care and screenings.
People are tired of the pandemic, but the hard fact is, the virus does not care. Even though the end of this pandemic is in sight it will be many months before we are through the worst of this. We can celebrate the holidays, but we should do so carefully and wisely.
We can do this, we can keep people healthy, and we can rebuild a sustainable economy.
Hilton Raethel is CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
