BHS urges area residents to take steps to fight virus
Butler Health System continues to encourage people to practice good hygiene as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.
BHS spokeswoman Jana Panther said people should follow guidelines set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.
“Wash your hands frequently, don't touch your face and cover coughs and sneezes,” she said, adding that people should also “maintain distance of 6 feet from others. If you feel sick, stay home.”
As of Wednesday morning, Butler Memorial Hospital reported 17 hospitalized patients, 11 with suspected cases of COVID-19 and six with confirmed cases.
Five of those 17 patients are beingtreated in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.
BHS also provided statistics for Clarion Hospital, which has six patients, five with suspected cases of COVID-19 and one with a confirmed case. Two of the six patients are being treated in the ICU.
In addition to treating the virus, BHS continues to test for the virus daily. Through Tuesday, the hospital has run 1,176 tests, with 895 of those being done at its outdoor facility on Brady Street in Butler.
Testing has yielded 53 positive results and roughly 267 results are pending.
Also through Tuesday, Clarion Hospital has tested 213 patients to date, with 171 tests done through its outdoor facility. Through its tests, Clarion Hospital identified three confirmed results with about 141 results pending.
Panther said BHS is doing tests as quickly as possible at this time. She said point-of-care lab testing, although highly publicized, is not available at this time.
“BHS will add this capability as soon as it is available,” Panther said. “Faster test results are the highest priority.”
Panther said supply availability is adequate at this time, but BHS continues to encourage donations of personal protective equipment.
Those interested in donating may contact the hospital through email at covid19donations@butlerhealthsystem.org.
Seeking hospital space
As coronavirus continues to spread through the region, many have discussed alternative measures for freeing up hospital space.
Ellwood City borough manager David Allen said the Army Corps of Engineers began its assessment of the now closed Ellwood City Medical Center on Monday and completed it by Tuesday.
Allen said the Corps forwarded that assessment to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for consideration of reopening through the Alternate Care Facility Conversion program.
“Within the next week or so, we expect PEMA and the Department of Health to make a decision,” Allen said.
Nationwide, the Corps has been converting hotels, college dorms and other facilities into “ICU-like” hospital rooms to help with the increasing number of patients needing treatment from the pandemic. This program has extended to closed hospitals that could be reopened and managed by the government agency.
The Ellwood City hospital closed its emergency department in December 2019 and months later the parent company shut down the hospital and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.If selected, PEMA would activate the Corps to renovate the site with needed upgrades and updates, which could take a couple of weeks. Once the renovations are completed, PEMA would take control of the hospital and run the facility on the state's behalf.“As we move forward, we have emphasized the importance of this medical center from the beginning,” said Ellwood City Mayor Tony Court.Court said he is optimistic that this could create a lasting change for the betterment of his community.“I'm hoping that this is a major move,” he said. “If this transpires and it plays out, this could be a major reopening of the medical center permanently.”Sate Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-10th, said he was optimistic about the hospital's chances because its closure was recent.“This is a great opportunity that we have,” he said. “Since this pandemic has occurred, everyone has worked collaboratively and hand in hand.”Bernstine was one of multiple legislators to sign a letter urging Gov. Tom Wolf to evaluate and possibly redistribute supplies in the now defunct hospital.He said if the facility does not reopen, he would ask that option to still be considered. He said the supplies should be used, whether it is at the Ellwood City hospital or another site.“This is why the entire community has come together to open our community to be helpful through this whole process,” Bernstine said.As of noon Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 962 additional positive cases of the coronavirus since its last update Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 5,805 — including four new cases in Butler County. The report also said 42,427 patients statewide tested negative for the virus to date.Butler County's four new cases bring its total confirmed cases to 64, but its death toll remained at two, according to the state update.Its largest neighbor to the south, Allegheny County, reports 356 confirmed cases, a rise of 31 cases. Allegheny County's death toll also remained the same at two people.Based on the report, data for the surrounding counties are as follows: Westmoreland, 72 confirmed cases; Beaver, 54 confirmed cases and two deaths; Lawrence, 13 confirmed cases and two deaths; Mercer, eight confirmed cases; Armstrong, five confirmed cases; Clarion, four confirmed cases; and Venango, three confirmed cases.
