Rural hospitals strained by virus

DAVENPORT — Rural medical centers like Lincoln Hospital and its clinics are struggling to survive during the coronavirus shutdown.

A shortage of patients has prompted Lincoln Hospital officials to ask employees to take volun- tary standby unemployment.

“We are doing everything in our power to avoid mandatory furloughs,” CEO Tyson Lacy said.

The misconceptions of hospitals being overran by patients sick with COVID-19 are scaring would-be patients from visiting for other issues. As a result, rural hospitals are mostly empty.

That’s putting a strain on the hospital, officials said. That can also be a danger to patients with health conditions other than COVID-19.

“We do not want diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure to go unchecked,” said Lincoln County Public Health Officer Ralph Monteagudo, who is also a family practice physician for Lincoln Hospital and Clinics. “Chronic diseases can also be deadly.

“So, scheduled maintenance of preventative visits remain important for the health of our communities.”

Hospital officials said their facilities are safe to visit and urged patients not to put off their health care needs.

“We have taken the precautions we need to protect our patients and our employees from COVID-19 and have made the needed adjustments to preserve our [person protective equipment], but we can’t just stop seeing all other patients,” Lacy said. “Other illnesses still occur, even during a pandemic.”

Patients entering the hospital or clinics are checked for respiratory symptoms before entering facilities.

“Now, when you come into our hospital or our clinics, you will not see a single other patient who could potentially have respiratory symptoms and even more rigorous cleaning and sanitizing methods are being used,” Lacy said.

The Wilbur Clinic had closed to preserve resources, such as personal protective equipment.

It reopened May 4.

Lincoln Hospital is not the only nearby local hospital struggling.

Recently, Gary Bostrom, the CFO of East Adams Rural Healthcare in Ritzville, estimated his hospital was losing $400,000 per month in revenue due to the stay-home order.

Earlier this month, Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center officials reported they were managing comparably well.

Administrator Emmett Schuster told The Odessa Record that no COVID cases had been confirmed there and that the hospital is not currently in dire financial shape.