As surge floods King’s Daughters, hospital exec pleads with public
ASHLAND, Ky. (WTVQ) – A hospital CEO is taking to every medium she can to stress — if not plead — with the public to understand the seriousness of the coronavirus and the impact it continues to have on the community and health care.
And Kristie Whitlatch should know. Her hospital, King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, has surged to capacity in just a matter of days as an outbreak has spiked in its service area.
Friday, Whitlatch took to the hospital’s Facebook page with a desperate message. Monday, she used Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily coronavirus briefing to make her case.
Below is Whitlatch’s message:
“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.
Kristie Whitlatch, President/CEO
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