An official with Mercy Springfield said the hospital ran out of ventilators over the weekend and had to ship them in from sister hospitals.
Mercy CAO Erik Frederick posted on Twitter July 4 that 116 COVID patients were being treated in their hospital. Frederick said the staff “spent the night looking for ventilators because we ran out.” They had 47 patients who were requiring the use of a ventilator, although not all of them were COVID patients.
Mercy hospitals in St. Louis and Northwest Arkansas sent ventilators to Springfield.
Frederick updated Monday via social media that they were treating 115 COVID patients and that 50 patients in the hospital were on ventilators. He also stated that the hospital will be opening a second COVID intensive care unit and a second “step down” unit.
“Physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists are tired,” Frederick posted on Twitter. “Heck everyone is tired. Travel RN’s coming this week. Physician support being arranged. If you’re a RT, call us.”