CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales is calling on nurses who are able to and not currently working to contact hospitals within the county to help as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise.
Canales released a statement Sunday evening stating “we are now in another surge of infections and our capacity to handle these infections is limited by a shortage of nurses.”
According to Canales, every staffed hospital bed is full and because of this area hospitals cannot accept patients.
This is not just happening in Corpus Christi but also Victoria, Kingsville, Beeville, and San Antonio, says Canales.
Canales also stating that beds are available but there is not enough nursing staff. Judge Canales says she has reached out state officials at Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Department of State Health Services and will be making a request for assistance.
Judge Canales says the current COVID-19 numbers in the county are as high as they were last summer. Which is why she's asking the community to be proactive in the fight against the virus and the latest variant by getting vaccinated.
"We just can’t afford economically, or our healthcare systems can’t afford to let delta take over Nueces county,” said Canales. “It’s starting now and we need to stop it dead in its tracks.”
Canales says if you are a nurse and want to help, call 859-396-8204.
Read the statement in full below:
We have an urgent situation in the Coastal Bend.
Because of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, we are now in another surge of infections. And our capacity to handle these infections is limited by a shortage of nurses.
Here’s how bad it is:
Every staffed hospital bed is full. All area hospitals are on divert, which means they cannot accept patients. This includes Corpus Christi, Victoria, Kingsville, Beeville, and San Antonio.
There are beds available but no nursing staff for them.
I have reached out to state officials at Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Department of State Health Services and will be making an official request for assistance as soon as possible.
This help may take time, or may not be available – there is a shortage of nurses across the state and the entire nation.
Many nurses left the workforce during the pandemic, some due to the workload, and others due to providers which went out of business due to COVID.
I would ask that in this time of crisis, all nurses who are able and not currently working step up and contact our hospitals to help out.
We truly need your help – our community is facing an enormous challenge, and nurses have ALWAYS risen to the challenge.
If you are a nurse and want to see how you can help, contact: 859-396-8204.”
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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