Hospital leader: North Alabama health care staffing at critical point due to coronavirus

I'm dan shaffer.

And i'm najahe sherman.

Today - we learned the hospital situation in north alabama is much worse than it might seem.

Crestwood hospital c-e-o doctor pam hudson says healthcare staffing in the region is at a critical point.

More than 300 huntsville hospital system employees are out because of covid infections or exposures.

135 of those are in madison county.

An additional 48 are at crestwood medical center!

An additional 19 hemsi employees are unable to work as well.

Doctor hudson says staff is far more of a concern than supplies or equipment.

If you have a bed, but you don't have nurses and other staff members to take care of the patient, it doesn't do very much good.

Doctor hudson says the pandemic is a challenge because unlike a natural disaster - where hospitals outside the impacted area can pitch in - every hospital in the country is under an enormous strain right now.

Madison county commission chairman dale strong says covid cases in the county are up 39-percent from december 2!

That's an increase of about 5-thousand cases in 20 days!

He says there are more than 500 covid patients across north alabama.

285 are in madison county.

He says of the 90 beds at madison hospital - 50 of them are occupied by covid patients.