Flagstaff Medical Center In Good Shape And Is Prepared For What Is To Come

Flagstaff Medical Center is busy these days, but not overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. Northern Arizona Health Care CEO Flo Spyrow told KAFF News they have been preparing for weeks for an uptick in cases and so far, so good. She does say if you have an emergency, don’t wait to go to the hospital. “I’m hearing people are afraid to come to the hospital because we have COVID-19 patients here so they are afraid of being infected.” She says there are enough beds currently at both Flagstaff and Verde Valley medical centers, as the facilities are at 60-percent capacity. As far as testing goes, they have been working with TGen North Labs in Flagstaff, who she says have been great partners, but the test results are taking too long. Spyrow says “what we’re finding is a wide variability in getting test results back.” She adds: “they can take anywhere from three to seven days to come back.” She says as of Thursday, they have 37 patients in their facilities who are in “rule-out” status, which means they have been tested for COVID-19, but it isn’t known if they are positive because they are still waiting on test results. Spyrow says they are waiting for a shipment of tests that has the capability of getting test results back in 45 minutes. In regards to supplies such as masks and gowns, Spyrow calls the situation “stable.” She says they have received donations of PPE’s from entities in the city, state and around the country. She says ventilators at both hospitals are at 50-percent use. Spyrow does say there are backup plans ready to go if they start running short on ventilators and supplies. She says right now the highest priority is keeping the doctors, nurses and staff healthy as the hospitals work through the pandemic. You can hear the interview with Dave and Flo Friday morning at around 8:30 a.m. on KAFF Country 93.5/AM 930.