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
Is Trump taking too much aspirin? Here’s what experts say
Trump takes four times the recommended dose of aspirin for cardiac prevention. Even low-dose aspirin is no longer recommended for people over 60 who don't have heart disease.
Yemen’s separatists announce a constitution for an independent south
The move comes as an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other.
DHS pauses immigration applications for an additional 20 countries
The Department of Homeland Security is pausing immigration applications from 20 additional countries following increased scrutiny on people who seek legal pathways for immigrating to the U.S.
What worked — and what didn’t — in the ‘Stranger Things’ finale
Between the final battle and some key needle drops, there was a little too much talking.
Alabama can’t stage another CFP comeback, has no answers for Indiana in Rose Bowl rout
The Crimson Tide tried everything possible to stage a historic comeback on the site of so many memorable moments for the program. Star quarterback Ty Simpson having to take himself out of the game in the second half because of a cracked rib did not help matters in what ended up a 38-3 loss to the Hoosiers.
Led by Mariah Carey, holiday songs dominate the charts for one last week
This was destined to be a Christmas-y week on the Billboard Hot 100.
