Phoenix nurse returns from NYC treating COVID-19 patients to another virus battleground
Some Arizona hospitals activating surge plans for COVID-19 could mean a different level of care
Will Humble, the former director of Arizona's Department of Health Services, says when hospitals activate surge plans, the level of care could change due to the fact care from doctors and nurses is spread extremely thin.
After months of intervention, COVID-19 hospitalization numbers dropped in New York, and Arizona nurses who answered the call for help are now coming home.
After 68 days, Cahlie McGraw from Phoenix is seeing her daughter for the first time. McGraw is a pediatric emergency room nurse and answered the call to help to treat COVID-19 patients in New York City, the once hotspot for the virus.
“The most heartbreaking part was having these patients who haven’t seen family in months," she explained.
After more than 2 months there, she was hoping to come home to spend time with family, but now she is arriving to yet another battleground.
“It is terrifying. It’s heartbreaking to see things get better in New York and make progress and to see Arizona has done the opposite," McGraw said.
Arizona is seeing record high, daily positive cases.
Will Humble with the Arizona Public Health Association and the former director of Arizona Department of Health Services, says by July 4th, if not before, the state will be in a crisis standard of care.
"Whether or not you have a COVID-related illness, the standard of care when it will be surge care or crisis care will be different in the standard of care you have gotten normally," Humble explained.
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He adds, interventions should have been made around Memorial Day weekend before it got to this point.
"The best we can do now is deal with the situations we have, put in more aggressive prevention measures, real enforcement for bars, restaurants, retailers that are cutting corners in mitigation," Humble said.
Several night clubs and bars in Old Town Scottsdale temporarily closed after being labeled as bad actors by Gov. Doug Ducey. Riot House was charged for violating social distancing guidelines.