DCH: Changes To Visitation Policy As System Logs 126 Inpatients

TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System reported a total of 126 hospitalizations on Wednesday, which is up from 60 on the same day two weeks ago and marks the highest number of virus-positive inpatients for the hospital system since late January.

ICU numbers for the Tuscaloosa hospital are especially troubling, as 36 coronavirus-positive patients are currently receiving critical care — 16 of whom are on ventilators.

As the hospital system pivots to meet the sustained surge, DCH Vice President of Marketing and Communications Andy North told Patch on Wednesday that DCH is in the process of converting additional rooms to care for COVID-19 patients as needed.

"Similarly, inpatient units are being converted to COVID patient care units as numbers of patients dictate," North said. "Supplemental areas which are normally open only during daytime hours are being utilized 24/7 to accommodate increased patient volumes."

DCH also announced it will enact additional patient visitation limitation, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 12. This will now allow only one support person per day in most areas and visitors will not be allowed to rotate in most situations.

What's more, no support person will be allowed for any COVID-19 positive patients other than end-of-life events, palliative care and/or corresponding consultations, DCH said on Wednesday.

DCH also continues to face down a nursing shortage after federal aid money for travel nurses ran out, resulting in the hospital system asking for the community help.

"Some community nurses have responded to our call for help but we still need more," North said. "Registered nurses who may be able to work a 12-hour shift should call (205) 333-4772."

In a spot of good news, though, North did point out that vaccination numbers among DCH employees has improved, reaching nearly 62% as of Wednesday for those who have received at least one dose of the vaccine. That is compared to a total staff vaccination rate of roughly 53% on July 29.

The rise in cases and hospitalizations in Tuscaloosa has also not been lost on local institutions, as the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa City Schools have both issued temporary mask orders for students and employees.

According to the latest data from the Alabama Department of Public Health, Tuscaloosa County has confirmed a total of 414 new coronavirus cases over the last two weeks, with a nearly 20% positivity rate for tests over the last seven days.

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To date, Tuscaloosa County has logged just north of 28,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, as the local vaccination rate remains well below half of the total population of the metropolitan area.

This noticeable rise in cases has already prompted some closures and cancellations, including the temporary closing of Kentuck Art Center last week and Wednesday's announcement that Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre will postpone its regularly scheduled fall production due to the pandemic.

Statewide, Alabama has reported 17,034 positive results from Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAAT) results in the last week. This came after just less than 71,000 tests had been conducted across the state, which underscores a sharp uptick in new cases statewide.

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