Blanco County is holding steady at four confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 12 more “likely” cases, but area hospitals are abiding by an old adage by being “better safe than sorry.”

County officials announced the second two cases on April 6 and no further cases have been identified as of April 13.

Also holding steady are local hospitals such as Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls and Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, both of which serve Blanco County residents and have been administering tests for coronavirus.

“HCM has administered COVID-19 tests locally for nearly a month,” said Marilee Pankratz, public relations consultant at Hill Country Memorial. “Between HCM and other test sites in Gillespie County, there have been less than 200 tests conducted so far.” She said only one of those tests, a Gillespie County resident, has come back positive.

Changes

Folks might have noticed a few changes at healthcare facilities, including screening before entering and limited access to only designated areas. BS&W is using an online questionnaire to determine coronavirus risk factors, and then suggesting visits using telemedicine to follow up if needed.

“Healthcare providers are conserving testing capabilities for those most at risk,” said Gabe Martinez, BS&W senior marketing and public relations consultant. “Patients who are experiencing mild symptoms suspected to be related to COVID-19 are given guidance for at-home treatment with rest and hydration and to take precautions like social distancing and isolating from others when possible.”

Supply and capacity

Nationwide news outlets have been reporting that some U.S. hospitals are so overrun with patients that tents have to be erected in parks to care for everyone. That’s far from the situation in Blanco County, but hospitals are bracing for impact just in case.

BS&W and HCM are rescheduling appointments and surgeries except for emergencies, and also altering their visitation policies.

“HCM has been planning for COVID-19 for quite some time,” Pankratz said. In March, the hospital’s Emergency Command Team was activated. A COVID-19 unit opened on April 2 at HCM because of the positive cases in the Hill Country region.

“Since testing was well underway locally, PPE preservation had begun and modifications to visitor policies were in place, the positive cases locally didn’t change the already heightened precautions the HCM team was taking,” Pankratz said.

Although stocked for the time being, both hospitals are preserving and securing more PPE and eyeing their supply of ventilators.

“We have PPE and ventilators right now but we’re working to secure more PPE as it becomes available,” Pankratz said. “HCM is grateful for community members who’ve been making masks for our teams. They’ve been helpful.”

BS&W also is taking steps to ensure adequate resources.

“We’ve implemented conservation guidelines to safely reuse or extend the use of masks using CDC guidance,” Martinez said. “We also have agreements with local manufacturers to begin producing reusable gowns and masks out of approved fabrics.”

BS&W is “exploring opportunities” to acquire more ventilators if the need arises.

HCM could triple its number of ventilators if needed.

“Should an outbreak occur locally, we could surge from our four ventilators up to 12,” Pankratz said.

It’s not just PPE in short supply during a pandemic, it’s qualified people.

“We’re working to make sure we have adequate staffing to care for an increase of patients in the coming weeks,” Martinez said. “We’re continuously studying and forecasting our staffing levels and recruiting team members.”

They are welcoming retired clinicians as well as newly-minted graduates in medical disciplines.

Stress comes with life on the front lines, but local healthcare professionals have support.

“We’re fortunate to have a cadre of mission and ministry workers who are on call and available if a team member needs extra support during this time,” Martinez said.

The community also has been a source of support.

“The support of the local community has been a welcomed morale boost for the team,” Pankratz said.