TEXAS, USA — We have talked about COVID-19 spikes before in the Permian Basin- we saw a spike in March after spring break, then again in June after there was an outbreak in a local nursing home.
But this spike is different, and our local healthcare leaders are sounding the alarm. This comes as we are a little over a week out from families gathering for Thanksgiving.
The hospitals' CEOs want to be clear about what is happening in our community.
"We're working with the City Command Center to get a community mobile morgue and that's because not only are the hospitals getting overwhelmed but with the deaths with this disease so are the funeral homes," Stacey Brown, CEO of Odessa Regional Medical Center said. "When that's another bed that we're waiting on to be able to take care of another patient."
Our three local hospitals are nearing capacity, with COVID-19 patients now making up most of the hospital population.
They do not have enough staff to meet demand and have called on the state for help in the form of FEMA nurses and respiratory therapists.
Our medical leaders have a unified message for our community: they want people to wear a mask and start taking this virus seriously before it is too late.
“We’re all at or near our capacity now," Russell Meyers, Midland Health CEO said. "Something has to change or we’ll max out and have to start turning people away.”
Yes--a hospital forced to turn people away. So what needs to change?
Our hospital leaders say West Texas needs an attitude adjustment towards masks.
On Zoom, the CEOs all had a similar stance on the matter.
Russell Meyers (MMH): "I’m hard-pressed to figure out why this is so difficult? A mask is not a burden, being in a hospital or a ventilator is a burden. Not being able to have your family come to visit you because we can’t have visitors in the hospital, is a burden. A mask is nothing, wear a mask."
Rusell Tippin (MCH): "I compare it to wearing sunscreen when you go outside. Why do you wear sunscreen when you go outside? You don’t want to get burned. It’s inconvenient maybe, but it saves a lot of heartaches later."
Stacey Brown (ORMC): And Russell you’ve said this before, too. It’s no different than a seat belt. We wear a seat belt because it saves lives. Why is the mask so difficult?
The CEOs clarified that a mask is not taking away anyone’s freedom. Instead, it is saving lives.
“People in West Texas, as much as anywhere in the world value their freedoms," Meyers said. "Sometimes I believe we have people that if you tell them not to do something, that’s a reason to do it. And it’s pretty evident in our numbers.”
The CEOs calling on Midland and Odessa leaders to do more.
“You have to think about the lives of the people taking care of those with the virus as well, it is just not sustainable," Brown said. "They are burning the candle at both ends. So if we can’t do it (wear masks) on our own then I am all for whatever we can do to save lives in our community. It’s incumbent upon us as leaders to at least do better and I think we can all do better.”
On Tuesday, Midland Memorial CEO Russell Meyers will speak to the Midland city council about agenda item 38.
He will argue his case on why a mask ordinance is needed.
If approved, "a maximum penalty of $500 could be issued to 'commercial entities, buildings, and other enclosed spaces that are open to the public' for failure to enforce the ordinance."
As for Odessa, Mayor David Turner tells NewsWest 9 he is planning on talking about it with council members Tuesday as well.
He hopes to follow Midland’s idea and enforce masks in businesses rather than patrol people individually.
For the full, uncut conversation with the CEOs visits NewsWest 9’s YouTube page.