Hospital surpasses 'surge capacity'

COLDWATER - Mercer County Community Hospital surpassed surge capacity as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have spiked to their highest levels since the pandemic began two years ago.

Longterm care facilities across the state hit with staffing shortages and high patient volume also are having problems admitting patients, officials reported during Wednesday's joint hospital board of governors meeting.

Chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services Susan Miller gave an update on the virus during the meeting.

Miller said Mercer County continues to see a spike in COVID-19 cases. Although the hospital had somewhat of a reprieve last week, Miller said hospitalizations have swelled this week.

On Tuesday night, the hospital's emergency room was at surge capacity, Miller said, which means hospital staff had to expand emergency room capacity into other patient care spaces that would not be used for such care under normal circumstances.

Miller said a patient who came to the emergency room on Tuesday night had to be held in the emergency room without a bed because there were no beds available.

The hospital in the past few weeks has seen the highest number of COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic, Miller said. The ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases paired with other seasonal illnesses continues to strain Ohio's hospitals, she said.

Miller in her report noted the Ohio National Guard has been deployed to several hospitals to help manage the workload. Although Mercer Health has yet to need such aid, Miller said the hospital is still having difficulties getting patients transferred to other hospitals for higher levels of care. This is because other hospitals also are at capacity and unable to take on additional patients, she said.

The hospital is seeing 14-16 COVID-19 patients a day, Miller said, whose hospital stays typically last from eight days to nearly two weeks.

Miller also discussed staffing issues facing longterm care facilities.

Like other businesses, Ohio's long-term care facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities have faced staffing shortages, whether it be due to infected workers or increased turnover rates, Miller said. As a result, health care agencies have had a hard time getting patients moved to these facilities, she said.

In other business, chief financial and operating officer Jon Dingledine gave an update on multiple construction projects at Mercer Health.

Mercer Health closed on the former Orchard Tree Restaurant property in late December and the Grand Lake Eye Care building earlier this month, according to Dingledine's report.

Construction is underway at the hospital to complete the second and third floor restrooms between the west wing and the east wing of the hospital, he said. Construction of a new gift shop also continues.

Construction is also underway at Mercer Health's new space at The Galleria. The location will include a new primary care office in Suite 5, formerly Snap Fitness. Dingledine said construction likely will be complete between May and June of this year.

Additionally, Dingledine said Mercer Health is constructing a new office at 8015 Marion Drive, Maria Stein, in the Wynk Construction building. The new medical office will be occupied by Dr. Heather Kleinhenz, who will join Mercer Health March 1. Dingledine said construction at that location likely will be completed by mid-February.

Board members also,

• met in a roughly hourlong executive session to discuss strategic planning and peer review. No action was taken after the session.

• heard board member Betty Dubry has retired from the board after 14 years.

• noted first responders and other community members will hold a "Light up" drive-thru event outside the hospital today around 6:30-7 p.m. The group will meet at the Coldwater football stadium at 6 p.m. and leave around 7 p.m. to surround the hospital with vehicles in support of health care workers. Mercer Health CEO Lisa Klenke also noted the group will donate approximately 500 meals for the hospital's staff.

The next board of governors meeting is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Sanderell room at the hospital.