NEW ORLEANS — Children’s Hospital officials in New Orleans sent a letter to Governor Edwards offering to help other hospitals around the state and region.
Children’s is preparing to receive pediatric patients, both COVID 19 and other cases from medical facilities in the state that treat both adults and children.
The hospital is also ready to flex admission criteria to accept young adults.
CHNOLA Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Bisset spoke with WWL-TV reporter Paul Murphy about the offer and how LCMC Health is fairing during the Coronavirus surge.
Murphy: Talk about your offer to be a central hub for pediatric care in the state.
Bisset: If there are places that have pockets of pediatric patients that they would like to send to us, so that they can free up space for their intensive care patients or their sicker adult patients. We want to make that offer and we’re available. We’re going to open up the gates a little bit as far as the age that we’ll be accepting patients. We want to help the community. If there are needs, we’re here.
Murphy: Have you had any Coronavirus patients at Children’s?
Bisset: We have had only one COVID positive patient who was a short-term admission and is going home, today.
Murphy: Talk about sending medical professionals, supplies and equipment from Children’s to help your fellow LCMC Health hospitals now experiencing an influx of COVID positive patients.
Bisset: We’re looking at ways to expand our capacity, every day, building more ICU beds at West Jefferson, at UMC and Touro, all of them are now in the process of expanding Intensive Care Unit beds. We feel like it’s our responsibility to help our colleagues at the other facilities.
Murphy: What made you want to volunteer your services at Touro Infirmary?
Bisset: It’s just finding ways that we can help because what I saw in the faces of the doctors that I was visiting at Touro is that they’re tired. They’ve been working really hard. I thought there is some way I can help them. Their intensive care units are bulging at the seams.
Murphy: Does the LCMC Health hospitals need additional ventilators?
Bisset: I think around the country, all hospitals are concerned about access to ventilators. We’re getting more every day. I think that’s been a very positive sign. But, it’s a concern for everybody.
Murphy: Today is National Doctors’ Day. How should we mark the occasion, especially this year as doctors on the front-lines are overwhelmed with very sick patients?
Bisset: If you have a chance to thank your doctor for what they’ve done for you please take that opportunity. It means a lot to have somebody thank you for helping them, even if it may not seem like you’re dealing with a COVID-19 problem. Thanks, means a lot to us as physicians. We went into the profession to help people and so when somebody thanks us, I think it’s very meaningful, so we could use it.
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