Shortages of face masks, other gear for medical workers during outbreak a problem statewide
Washington state Department of Health late Friday put actual numbers on the crisis state health care workers are facing when it comes to the supply of personal protective equipment.
To date, the department said it had filled more than 50 PPE requests, including 72,930 surgical gowns, 6,350 protective face/eye shields, more than 145,000 N-95 respirators, 238,560 surgical/procedure masks and more than 100,000 gloves.
“The Department of Health appreciates our federal partner’s efforts to meet our needs for PPE throughout this response through the Strategic National Stockpile,” said Clark Halvorson, Assistant Secretary of Health for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, in a state DOH news release issued Friday evening.
“This support however falls far short of meeting the needs of our medical system, first responders, public health, and care facilities — forcing us to prioritize requests based on greatest need. Because of the intense demand for PPE during this outbreak, the Department of Health is partnering with the Emergency Management Division and Department of Enterprise Services to identify other sources of the critical equipment needed across the state.”
On Friday, The News Tribune reported that health care workers at MultiCare facilities were having to re-use disposable masks due to coronavirus-induced shortage.
Late Friday, The News Tribune received responses in answer to supply chain questions sent to two independent sources connected to CHI Franciscan.
The sources told The News Tribune that CHI health care workers also had been dealing with a similar mask shortage, with workers reusing and rationing masks. The sources requested anonymity over fears of retaliation.
CHI Franciscan on Friday did not directly confirm the issue when presented with the information. The health system previously told The News Tribune this week that rationing was not taking place as a result of its vast supply chain network as part of its ties to CommonSpirit Health, which has hospitals nationwide.
In a statement, Cary Evans, vice president for communications and government affairs, CHI Franciscan, told The News Tribune on Friday evening:
“The safety and health of our staff and patients is our highest priority, and we have prepared for this pandemic since January. Our nurses, doctors, and staff are working long hours during a trying time. We currently have an adequate supply of masks and personal protective equipment, especially at our 11 triage locations that continue to see thousands of patients. We assess our supplies on a daily basis, share resources across the system, and are fully stocked for the weekend. We are following CDC and health department guidelines for masking and all protective equipment.”
After publication of this article Saturday morning, Evans, in an emailed statement to The News Tribune, updated the original statement to add details of the protocol CHI Franciscan was following: “We are following CDC and health department guidelines for masking, which is one per healthcare worker/per patient/per shift with a maximum use of five times.”
The shortages come amid extraordinary demand placed on both CHI Franciscan and MultiCare in terms of delivering care to patients amid the state and nation’s coronavirus outbreak.
CHI Franciscan said in just one day alone, it saw more than 1,300 patients for screening at its 11 COVID-19 triage centers in the Tacoma area.
According to the state Department of Health, which issued a news release Friday evening acknowledging statewide PPE shortages: “The increase in people with respiratory symptoms visiting clinics and needing care is straining our health care system’s supply of PPE in some areas. It’s a challenging problem, and we’re working to solve it in several ways.
“When PPE supplies can’t be filled by a health care facility’s normal suppliers and the state can’t find a vendor with supply, the state requests from the federal government PPE supplies from the federal Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). We have received two shipments so far. In total, DOH has received eight tractor-trailer loads and six courier deliveries of supplies from the SNS since March 4.”
The state DOH said it could not “release current numbers of PPE in stock as the number is in regular flux. Health care facilities and emergency responders should still pursue their normal contracting processes and rely on their traditional supply chains first. This effort is meant to supplement critical needs, not supply all.”
The News Tribune earlier this week received copies of a staff-wide email from MultiCare stating that inventory for some personal protection equipment is critically low.
“We will now be re-using masks. We are in a critical health situation,” the email stated. “If we do not do this, we will be out of masks in one or two days.”
MultiCare’s measures do not apply to sterile procedures, according to the memo, which would include surgeries.
Staff at Good Samaritan, Tacoma General and the Auburn Medical Center told The News Tribune they are uncomfortable with the measures.
MultiCare acknowledged its own supply-chain issues.
“We are trying to stretch the supplies we have,” spokeswoman Marce Edwards told The News Tribune. MultiCare has implemented “best-practice” policies to ration masks, she added.
Masks are expected to last a 12-hour shift, to be replaced only if visibly soiled.
For now what has become a shortage for Tacoma and the surrounding metro, stands as a warning to other states that might soon face the same issues.
“DOH and the Governor’s Office have received assurances that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will continue working with the state to fill additional, short-term requests for equipment through the SNS,” the DOH said in its release.
“This is a national problem as well. It is critical that the federal government work with supplies to increase production of PPE to ensure our health care providers have the protection they need to safely provide care.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 9:03 AM.
