With Iowa at a record-setting rate for COVID-19 hospitalizations, the Dallas County Hospital (DCH) is holding its own in terms of patient resources, a DCH spokesperson said Wednesday.
“We are not at capacity but are a 25-bed facility,” DCH Marketing and Foundation Manager Macinzie McFarland told ThePerryNews.com. “We can expand beyond that based on additional equipment available.”
McFarland said the DCH does not have any intensive care unit (ICU) beds, but Perry’s proximity to Des Moines hospitals facilitates transfers.
“Our process has always been to transfer patients in need of ICU care to a larger facility,” she said.
The DCH now uses antigen tests involving nasal swab specimens in order to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection at the point of care.
“Historically, testing has been performed away from the patient or point of care, and patients had to wait hours or days to learn the results, causing a delay in patient care,” McFarland said. “Point-of-care testing allows quick results at or near the time and place of patient contact.”
Some 2,700 inpatient hospital beds are currently available statewide, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health website, representing about 35% of all beds. There are currently 449 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Iowa, with 112 people in intensive care units and 39 on ventilators.
“We continue to follow CDC guidelines and IDPH guidance,” McFarland said. “Visitors continue to be restricted.”
