Hospital Officials Urge Against Holiday Gatherings In Open Letter To Alabamians
Birmingham-area hospital officials issued an open letter to the public Tuesday expressing concern about the growing number of COVID-19 patients being cared for in hospitals and the possibility those numbers will grow even more as the holidays progress.
In the letter, the officials ask Alabamians to take all possible precautions to stop the spread of the disease, including avoiding holiday gatherings with people who do not live in their households.
This is the open letter from Birmingham-area hospital officials to residents of Alabama:
Birmingham area hospitals applaud Governor Ivey’s recent extension of the statewide Mask Order. We also encourage residents of Jefferson County and all across Alabama to continue their vigilance in taking every precaution possible to minimize the spread of COVID.
The initial COVID surge during the summer months stressed our healthcare system, but the drastic increase in confirmed COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths over the last few weeks is significantly more concerning. Currently, more than 600 COVID patients are being cared for in area hospitals, which is a 50% increase over the maximum number of patients we saw over the summer. And, the numbers continue to rise. We are just starting to see the effects of the Thanksgiving holiday and are concerned about the coming holidays, where people are more likely to gather indoors.
Across the community, our ICU units are filling to capacity. We are having to convert hospital units to COVID units and divert resources to care for COVID patients who desperately need care. As more COVID patients fill our hospital beds, our ability to care for those with other healthcare needs is compromised.
Not only are we facing spacing challenges, but we are experiencing staffing challenges as well. Across the community, almost 500 of our own hospital staff members are unable to work due to COVID related-issues. The staff who are able to work are facing longer hours with an increased workload. Caregivers are tired and overstressed. Trying to balance staffing shortages alongside space constraints is becoming increasingly problematic and detrimental to our ability to care for all of the many additional medical needs and conditions in our community.
Given the high level of community spread, our hospitals need the public’s help in stopping the spread of COVID. Now more than ever, the community has truly become the front lines in the fight against this pandemic. We know a lot has been asked of you thus far, but we desperately need your help. We know that masking, social distancing, and hand washing will help us ensure that we have the resources to care for the patients who are most in need. These things are easy to do and help curb the spread of illness, while allowing us to keep vital businesses operating and our economy strong.
But even more is needed at this moment to reduce community spread.
We urge you to reconsider large family holiday gatherings during this time. Please consider avoiding travel and not mixing households. Even small gatherings of more than one household have proven deadly. Grab takeout to support a local business and eat at home with your immediate family. Set up virtual group gatherings to celebrate this holiday season so we can gather with all of our loved ones next year and not potentially lose them now to this virus. You can help us better care for our community. We implore you to help us in this fight.
Birmingham Area Hospitals
Catherine O’Hara, who starred in ‘Home Alone’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ dies at 71
O'Hara enjoyed a six-decade career in TV and films playing sometimes over-the-top, but endearing characters. "I loved playing cocky untalented people," she told Fresh Air in 1992.
Unmentioned but present, Trump is a common denominator in Asia-Europe ties
Trump was not the only factor behind the agreements, but his shaking up of the global order is worrying friends and foes and driving them closer.
Alex Pretti shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis prompts DOJ civil rights probe
Alex Pretti's shooting death by federal agents in Minneapolis has prompted a DOJ civil rights probe. Renee Macklin Good's death by federal agents has not.
Voices from Iran: women defy fear in the face of brutal crackdown
Amid Iran's deadly crackdown, three women share their stories of resistance, fear and an unyielding hope for freedom.
Lawmakers move to place rules on app use by children
For many of us, smartphones are our connection to the world, whether it's messaging friends, watching videos or catching up on the news. That connection gets a little more fraught, though, when the person using the phone is a minor. An Alabama Senate committee this week passed a bill that would put in place new rules around apps and children.
Skier Lindsey Vonn’s Winter Olympic comeback dream is in jeopardy after a crash
Vonn was seen clutching her left knee after crashing in a race in Switzerland on Friday, the last before the Winter Olympics. Her comeback after retiring in 2019 was one of Team USA's biggest stories.
