Mercy Medical Center makes deal with Roseburg VA amid COVID-19 surge

In coos county.

The roseburg v-a has stepped in to help mercy medical center handle the load as coronavirus cases continue to spike in douglas county.

Kezi 9 news reporter evita garza shows us how the v-a is lending a hand& and why mercy staff feel like theye ready for anything.

At mercy medical center, staff say they are starting to feel the imapct of the spike in covid-19 cases in douglas county.

Right now, they say theye treating 13 patients for covid-19& and more people are getting admitted every day.

Phoner:?typically we were running 1 or 2 covid patients a day over the summer.

More recently, wee seeing 10-17 patients a day?

But... chief medical officer jason gray tells me theye had a plan in place since the beginning of the pandemic.

The plan includes opening a covid-19 wing& where six patients are staying right now.

Plus, mercy started a partnership with the roseburg va that allows them to take in some of mercy patients.

Gray says the v- a has taken three of their patients so far.

Over the last couple week, wee been exploring the logistics.

The best made plans still have to be adapted to the agenda, how do we get them over there, medications, communications with physicians?

00:56 evita: even though covid-19 case numbers are going up in douglas county, gray says mercy is ready for anything... because of support from the roseburg va?

Executive assistant shawn tyson says the roseburg va is unable to take in patients who are high risk because they don have an icu.

But, he says he glad they are able to do something to share the burden with mercy.

1:19?some of this is assisted with the fact that we send mercy patients all of the time.

They provide a higher level of care?

Tyson says the agreement will last until march& but it could be extended if needed.

In roseburgevita garza, kezi 9 news.

It was much