Coronavirus (of course) and Other Topics
Good morning!
Today I want to touch on a few topics that don’t necessarily warrant a full column. Front and center, as it has been seemingly forever, is coronavirus. I remain extremely concerned about the trajectory of the case counts in Mississippi, and the inevitable hospitalizations that follow. The state is setting records for new cases almost every day, with the seven-day average well above 1,000. At UMMC, our patient counts are hovering in the 90s, which I feel is just about the practical limit of what we can manage from the standpoint of physical and staff resources. We did receive critical shipments of PPE this week – masks, gloves and hand sanitizer – but at our current “burn rate,” PPE will continue to be a concern. Meanwhile, hospitals in adjacent states are similarly stressed and, essentially, we are having to put a “NO VACANCY” sign on the door. Again, I can’t say enough how important it is to wear a mask any time you are around other people, to be socially distanced and to practice good hand hygiene. Please join me in leading Mississippi in this charge to be safe, to be smart and to “flatten the curve.”
— — —
We are right around the corner from starting our fall semester on Aug. 10. Despite the pandemic, our academic programs will be at full speed, but with more virtual and online instruction in the mix for safety reasons. Although some ceremonial events may be canceled or moved to a virtual format, for the most part we will maintain the academic calendar for each school as published in the 2020-2021 Bulletin. All student services and resources will be available, with some online modifications. While the other IHL institutions will be ending the semester at or near the Thanksgiving break, we will keep our normal schedule. We are limiting the number of affiliated, non-UMMC students on campus to about 25, down from our usual contingent of 500 per semester. Clinical instruction will be conducted as it was pre-COVID but within the recommended guidelines for group size, distancing and face coverings. Clinical rotations, where part of a defined curriculum, remain an expectation for student progression.
— — —
In a VC Notes “Five Questions” edition from a few weeks back, I was asked when the water fountains located around the Medical Center will be returned to service. Good news: The bottle-filling stations built into some of the fountains will resume operation within the next two weeks. New filters have to be installed and the water tested, so please don’t fill your water bottles until it’s safe to do so. Unfortunately, the drinking fountains will remain out of service for the foreseeable future due to the risk of transmitting the virus.
— — —
Even though the Mississippi Legislature’s 2020 session was interrupted and then extended by the coronavirus and a number of members and staff unfortunately fell ill with COVID-19, the legislators were able to act on a number of measures that are important to UMMC. Our appropriation, which at $167,469,574 is less than 10 percent of our total budget, took a 3.1 percent cut this year. That sounds bad, but we were relieved the cut wasn’t even larger than that, all things considered. On the other hand, in response to our request for bond funding as part of a larger higher education package, we received a first-year total of $5.68 million. Almost all of this will be spent on badly needed infrastructure, such as chillers, elevators and roofs. Not exactly glamorous stuff but vital to our day-to-day operations. Over four years, UMMC’s bond funding is projected to be $36.7 million. Finally, the Legislature allocated the Medical Center $9.38 million of the $1.2 billion in federal CARES Act funding provided by Congress to help our state contend with the economic impact of the coronavirus. UMMC’s portion, based on the number of COVID-19 patients treated, was a little more than 11 percent of the $80 million the state allocated to hospitals and health care entities.
— — —
For our employees who have outpatient medical needs unrelated to the coronavirus – and those needs have certainly not gone away during the pandemic – I just want to remind you of the Employee Rapid Access initiative we began way before anybody had heard of COVID-19. UMMC employees can call the dedicated number 4-CARE (601-984-2273) and receive an expedited appointment in a number of specialties, most notably family medicine, otolaryngology and ophthalmology. Contending with the coronavirus, including space limitations in clinic settings, has caused backlogs in some specialties, but every effort is being made to accommodate employees and provide them with an “EASY button” to access the care they need.
— — —
Finally, we are tentatively planning another virtual town hall meeting for the first week of August. That will be an opportune time to field your questions on where we stand with respect to the pandemic. As we go forward, let’s keep our focus and continue staying #UMMCStrong.
