Hallie Bailey, nurse manager at Parkridge Valley Child and Adolescent campus, didn't yet know the devastation she would find outside after the Easter Sunday tornado that ripped through eastern portions of Hamilton County. But she knew that she had to get to her patients.
Normally, Erlanger Health System would begin budget planning in April for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. But these aren't normal times in health care.
Chattanooga hospitals are planning a "measured" restart to elective procedures during the first week of May, hospital officials announced Friday morning.
As states prepare to reopen their economies, much of the focus lies on the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence.
Georgians could have to wait until June 19
As in other cities across the United States, Chattanooga's hospitals report a dramatic decline in the number of patients seeking care at those facilities - and it's not just "non-essential" procedures, which have stalled in an attempt to conserve resources and space in case of a COVID-19 patient surge.
Since the ability to test for COVID-19 reached Hamilton County, residents have been told they must meet strict criteria to qualify. But now the health department will swab citizens and test the sample for free without a physician's referral or symptoms.
Community testing for the coronavirus is improving but still needs to reach more people before local leaders feel comfortable loosening social restrictions, according to reports from the area's COVID-19 task force.
Chairmen of the two Senate committees responsible for health policy and spending are pushing for more access to COVID-19 antibody tests, saying they will help save lives and restart the economy sooner by determining who is - at least temporarily - immune to the disease.
Hamilton County health officials reported two new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and one new death, bringing the county's total number of cases due to the global pandemic to 109 and deaths to 12 residents.
