A rural Mississippi Hospital CEO has made a statement about how some hospitals in the state are full and it is becoming increasingly harder to find ICU beds for patients.
This comes as some estimates show there are less than 100 total ICU beds availabe in Mississippi
Below is a message from our Hospital Administrator Sydney Sawyer from Lackey Memorial Hospital in Forest:
Everyone please stay vigilant. As most of you know , I am an RN and the CEO of a small rural hospital, I have dealt with infection control for 25 years or so.
I have no reason other than concern for encouraging you to wear your mask.
We are now not able to transfer patients to the normal tertiary facilities that we always use.
Their ICUs are full and this is July! Wait until flu hits. We are in Forest Mississippi and we are having to transfer the seriously ill to places as far away as Tupelo.
This is not a joke , I have no reason to lie, my hospital has nothing to benefit from me asking for you to wear a mask.
Scott county is doing pretty well today, due to mandated wearing of mask a couple of months ago, but I promise it is going to get worse. My home county of Simpson is a growing hotspot and I am concerned for my family and friends there as well.
PLEASE listen to your Medical Comunity!
This is the most serious thing we have faced in my lifetime. I have been in the medical field since 1984. Almost 4 times the people have died from covid so far this year, in the USA, than died from flu last year. 140888 people have died. Many many more have been seriously sick and we don’t even know what that means for their future.
I could go on and on. Maybe this was man made maybe this was a conspiracy who knows but I promise it won’t stop until we act and be smart.
Wear a mask to protect others!
If you don’t believe it works put on your mask and spit in it as hard as you can. See how much fluid stays inside your mask.
This is going to effect you. It may be your dad’s heart attack or your mother’s fall or your child’s car wreck that we can’t transfer due to no beds but it’s going to effect everyone.
Please wear your mask, wash your hands, stay with your family group and not around others as much as possible.
There is no debate that wearing a mask works.
PLEASE wear your mask and encourage others to do so.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
