JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. In response to the surge of COVID-19 cases in Southern California, several caregivers from Oregon have stepped up to help.
Ryan Hutchinson, Director of Diagnostic Imaging at Providence Medford Medical Center is assisting at Providence, St. Mary’s Medical Center in Apple Valley California.
St. Mary’s is a 212 bed hospital that currently has 285 patients, and more than half are COVID-19 positive.
“The level of gratitude the thanks down here that we get, once they realize that we’re not from their hospital has been overwhelming,” says Hutchinson.
Hutchinson says it is special to see how caregivers are rising to the occasion to care for these patients.
Healthcare workers from Oregon being sent to California to help with COVID-19
PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) As California deals with a massive surge in COVID-19 cases, Oregonians are being sent to that state help ease the burden.
California hospitals are overrun with COVID-19 patients, and frontline healthcare workers are taking on grueling shifts to deal with the problem.
Ryan Hutchinson, a healthcare worker from Medford, arrived in Apple Valley, California on Sunday to offer his services for a week.
He is working at Saint Mary’s medical center, which he says is beyond capacity for patients.
He says the hospital is licensed for 212 patients with 30 emergency room beds. Right now, he says there are 285 patients and 50 to 100 people in the ER regularly.
We ll update this story throughout the day with the latest news about coronavirus and its effects in Oregon on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Oregon has reported 1,059 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 119,488.
There were 44 more deaths reported Tuesday, the Oregon Health Authority reported, bringing the state’s death toll to 1,550.
Marion County reported 99 new cases. Polk County reported 28.
Other counties with large numbers of new cases include Multnomah, with 163, Clackamas, with 139, and Washington, with 100.
There were 494 COVID-19 patients hospitalized Tuesday, 17 more than on Monday. Of those, 107 were in intensive care.
New deaths reported included
An 87-year-old man in Tillamook County who tested positive on Dec. 28 and died on Jan. 1 at his residence. Presence of underlying conditions is being confirmed.