Hospitals have ‘deep spirit of collaboration’

Health care coalitions already share resources, official says

Gov. Tom Wolf's order on Wednesday calling for redistribution of health care resources for the coronavirus pandemic as needed -- from areas of excess to areas of shortage -- should only be used as "a last resort," according to the president of the Pennsylvania Hospital and Healthsystem Association.

An existing network of voluntary collaboration agreements that connect organizations throughout the state is already doing an adequate job and should be left to continue, Andy Carter said Thursday during a teleconference.

Wolf's order may be looking ahead to "the worst case scenario," but the "deep spirit of collaboration" among hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities among the states' seven regional health care coalitions should "make it absolutely unnecessary" for the execution of that order, Carter said.

There's no evidence that resources aren't being shared as necessary now, he said.

If the governor's order were needed to force transfers, that would be "disruptive," he added.

During his announcement Wednesday, Wolf acknowledged "that some health care facilities are already working together to shift resources, and the administration does see using this order as a last resort," a state Department of Health spokeswoman wrote in an email, when asked about Carter's comments.

Still, if necessary, the order "will allow for further transfer of supplies and information between medical facilities to both high-population, high-impact areas and lower population areas that might not have as many existing medical resources," the DoH spokeswoman wrote.

While HAP sees the governor's order as likely unnecessary, a Cambria County state representative regards it as probably unfair.

It seems designed to "rob" resources from areas like central Pennsylvania to supply those like Philadelphia -- even though our area may soon need those resources, according to a news release from state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Johnstown, who professed himself "skeptical" of the governor's intentions.

Burns, who like Wolf is a Democrat, doesn't want to see "badly needed supplies" taken from the Conemaugh Health System, which includes Conemaugh Miners Medical Center in Hastings and Conemaugh Nason in Roaring Spring, and funneled "to highly populated areas like Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, just as it (Conemaugh) and other rural hospitals get slammed," states the news release.

His concern is "heightened" by Sunday's death of a resident of Dysart, which is in his 72nd District, the news release stated.

"Now is not the time to be confiscating masks, gowns, ventilators and other equipment, which is already in modest stock locally, and redistributing it elsewhere," Burns stated, citing Cambria County's large population of the elderly, who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

"I'm no fan of seizing private property," Burns stated. "I also worry that somewhere along the line, the definition of 'greatest need' will in essence mean 'greatest population.'"

According to the DoH's daily report on Thursday, Blair County's COVID-19 caseload remained at six, with only five new cases in the surrounding area.

As a whole, however, the states' new caseload rose 18 percent, the highest single-day increase since it reached 25 percent on April 2.

Still, in western Pennsylvania, "it looks like we've flattened the (infection) curve," said UPMC's Donald Yealy, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine, during a teleconference. "We're not seeing the spikes and surges seen elsewhere."

A University of Washington model predicted that the number of cases in Pennsylvania would peak this weekend, although other models predict other dates for peaking, Yealy said.

The pandemic continues to grow, "but we see the possibility for a manageable future with no very high surge here in western Pennsylvania," Yealy said.

So far, the 40-hospital UPMC system has handled the situation "easily," according to Yealy.

Still, "we need to maintain vigilance," said State Health Secretary Rachel Levine during her daily webcast, speaking for the entire state.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.

By the numbers

New cases in Blair County: 0

Cumulative cases in Blair County: 6

New cases in contiguous counties: Bedford 0; Cambria 1; Centre 2; Clearfield 0; Huntingdon 2

Cumulative cases in contiguous counties: Bedford 4; Cambria 10 (1 death); Centre 59; Clearfield 7; Huntingdon 8

Total cumulative cases in regional counties: 84

Cumulative regional deaths: 1

New cases statewide: 1,989, up 18 percent

Cumulative cases statewide: 18,228, in all 67 counties

New deaths statewide: 29

Cumulative deaths statewide: 338

New negative tests statewide: 5,075

Cumulative negative tests statewide: 87,374

Samples taken at UPMC site in Altoona: Between 40 and 50 patients were scheduled for each day this week.