MCHS helping to ease state’s lack of hospital beds
By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor
The McKenzie County Hospital is doing its part to help alleviate the hospital bed shortage caused by the increasing number of North Dakotans requiring intensive care unit (ICU) beds due to COVID-19.
In the past six weeks, Mike Curtis, McKenzie County Healthcare System, Inc. Executive Director/CAO, says that the hospital has been accepting post-COVID patients who still require medical care.
“When a COVID patient, who is no longer contagious and is in one of the state’s major hospitals can come to us, it helps reduce the state’s shortage of available beds,” states Curtis. “We can provide the additional care those patients need such as physical, occupational or respiratory therapy.”
Curtis says since the hospital began accepting post-COVID patients, the facility has been caring for an average of four patients daily.