CA ships hundreds of ventilators out of state, denies county’s request for them
As California ships out hundreds of ventilators to other hard-hit states, Riverside County officials continue to warn we are just weeks away from reaching capacity for critical medical equipment locally.
Governor Newsom loaned 500 state-owned ventilators to the national stockpile, shipping them to hotspots including New York and six other states.
That's the same number of ventilators Riverside County officials requested from the state – a request they said was denied without explanation.
This as dire projections are being made within the county, with hospitals expected to run out of ventilators by April 26, less than three weeks away.
The county said every intensive care bed they have is expected to be full by April 14, and every hospital bed will be full by April 24.
However, for the time being at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, things aren't as dire as they sound.
"Right at the moment, we're staying well within our capacity to manage these patients across the board, both ventilators and space," said Dr. Alan Williamson, Chief Medical Officer with Eisenhower Health.
Williamson said only 10-12 patients are on ventilators there, though the hospital has the capacity for about 150.
Hospital staff is trying to stretch personal protective equipment, though, like masks and gowns, which they say could run out quickly with a surge of patients.
"Depending on the size of the surge that we get is going to make all the difference about whether we're able to keep up with that demand on an ongoing basis," Williamson said.
They are trying to prepare for the worst, while also helping others in need.
"There are parts of the country that are really in far worse shape than we are at the moment," Williamson said. "We all need to pull together as a country, not just as an individual community to help each other out."
After the county's request for 500 ventilators was denied by the state, they put in a new request for 1,000 ventilators. County officials say they haven't yet heard back.
We reached out to Governor Newsom's office for comment but have not heard back.
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