NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. — As the Western New York community continues to follow this trend of rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases and daily hospitalizations, concerns and worry over hospital capacity and lack of resources also continue to rise.
Despite the increasing rise in hospitalizations, local medical experts say the method of care during this surge is significantly different than last spring thanks to the abundance of knowledge, new drug treatments, necessary materials and, perhaps most importantly, a solidified and legitimate plan.
At the start of the pandemic everyone, from lawmakers and healthcare workers, to everyday citizens, was taken by surprise. There was no blueprint on how to a navigate and treat something like this virus, despite other historic pandemics, the novel coronavirus is unique in nature.
Joe Ruffolo is the CEO of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and has been with his team on the front lines since early spring. Ruffolo says, things inside the medical center may look busier as of late, but things feel different.
“We have more tools in the tool kit this time around,” Ruffolo says.
Another differentiating factor this time around – new trends.
“We're seeing a lot of younger people being tested positive, where in March and April, there was a significant portion of elderly people that were impacted with the COVID virus,” Ruffalo points out.
So, what does this mean?
Ruffolo tells 2 On Your Side, while more patients are coming in, less of them need ventilators. Which frees up a significant amount of space for those high-risk patients in need of intensive care.
Right now, he says, the medical center is seeing (on average) four to eight COVID patients a day. More of them appear relatively healthy, between the ages of 25 and 50, and are responding well to drug therapies that enable them to transfer out of the hospital quicker than before.
“We’ve developed an outpatient setting where we can bring them in, in a safe environment, provide drug therapy, that would enable them to recover sooner,” Ruffolo says.
Another benefit, Ruffolo says, is the abundance of materials. Unlike the first wave, Ruffolo’s team has more PPE, face masks, gowns, protective face wear and back up beds so there’s no worry that hospital doors will be forced to close.
“We have over fifty additional beds that we could put in place in various areas for designated COVID clusters or pods,” he says.
Though Niagara County’s numbers are significantly lower in comparison to other parts of Western New York, Ruffolo says his entire team, top to bottom, is doing everything possible to stay ahead of the surge.
“The best medicine, is always preventative medicine,” he says.
Like many of his peers, Ruffolo encourages the public to continue following CDC guidelines and public safety measures. Because, while at the moment hospital systems are managing, it’s possible for the past to become the present, especially when dealing with fluid medical emergencies like this one.