Recently, the Midwest of the United States has once again become the “epicenter” of the coronavirus epidemic. At the New Roseland Community Hospital at the southernmost tip of Chicago, there is a long line of vehicles waiting for nucleic acid testing, while medical staff are fighting with the rebounding epidemic in the ward.
The reporter of the main station met Dr. Gray in the temporary coronavirus ward, the head nurse of the coronavirus ward. Dr. Gray said that all the patients in the ward have tested positive for COVID-19, but if the patient needs a ventilator, he has to be transferred to the intensive care unit. “The coronavirus ward is about to be full, and we are only two available now,” Dr. Gray said.
Bryan, who has been hospitalized these days, said: “At first, I was a little worried, but the medical staff took good care of me, and many people also wished me a speedy recovery. But Covid-19 is still horrible and everyone should be careful, it’s not a joke.”
Patient Anthony sighed the same way. Anthony said, “I have witnessed everything here. Many people have not survived, and medical resources are very scarce. Everyone should take it seriously and wear a mask well.
The reporter met Dean Tim Egan in the dean’s office. He said that the hospital was in a disaster. A large number of medical personnel recovered from the novel coronavirus and immediately returned to the front line of relief, but a large number of medical staff could not return to work.
The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on medical personnel has made the hospital’s long-drawn medical resources more scarce. Medical director Radippo told reporters: “I’m afraid that our hospital will exceed the limit because the number of patients and the disease are getting worse and worse. I can’t sleep at night. What should we do if the intensive care room and emergency room are full?”
Dr. Victoria, who was specially transferred to New Roseland Hospital to treat COVID-19 patients, admitted that she was worried that the hospital did not have the ability to postmortem to cope with the increasing number of COVID-19 deaths in the next few months. “This is an existential threat to our nation’s civilization,” said Dr. Victoria.
Known as the “Safety Net Hospitals,” New Roseland Community Hospitals specialize in providing medical services for low-income people without health insurance. New Roseland Hospital has long faced a shortage of funds.
“Most of the “safety net hospitals” are in a state of loss, so it’s not just about costs but how to deal with the debt structure,” Dean Tim Egan told reporters. We owe more debt now than before, as we build more facilities and we add more employees. So the debt we manage is changing every minute.”
The reporter of the station visited the hospital in April this year, when it was suffering from the first wave of COVID-19. Although New Roseland Hospital created a system for indoor viral nucleic acid testing, it failed to obtain $12 billion in federal aid funds for the hospital system because one of the conditions was not met: as of April 10, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted per day would need to reach 100.
New Roseland Community Hospital is located in one of Chicago’s least economical neighborhoods. Due to the lack of public investment, unemployment and crime rates have remained high here, and there is even a shortage of food in some areas.
“In the United States, a person’s health may be determined by his postcode, not his genetics. It has proved time and again that poor communities have been lacking investment, and they are often at the forefront of social crisis. Dean Tim Egan told reporters.
In April this year, the McCormick Exhibition Center in Chicago, the largest exhibition venue in the United States, was temporarily converted into a temporary hospital to fight against the coronavirus epidemic. However, the data shows that only 38 patients with the novel coronavirus are treated there. If costing is carried out, it will cost seven million US dollars per patient.
However, the annual budget of New Roseland Community Hospital is about $50 million. Although the hospital received other financial support during the epidemic, the director said it was still overstretched.
“Frankly, ‘Safety Net Hospital’ is completely incapable of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and I firmly believe we also need federal and state funding to help, only so we can win this battle.” Dean Tim Egan said.
