Atlantic, IA—Cass County Health System CEO Brett Altman and Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Bireline are raising red flags about an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Cass County. The warnings come as the Cass County positivity rate for COVID-19 cases ranked second highest in the state at over 21% on Wednesday, October 21. Bireline says “Positive cases are rapidly accelerating and one of our greatest concerns is our future ability to adequately staff our hospital and clinics. Whether a staff member is forced to care for a family member or themselves after a positive COVID test, quarantine effectively removes a staff member from our workforce for up to two weeks at a time. While we have incorporated plans to mitigate workforce shortages during the pandemic, obviously the last place you want to have staffing shortages is in a hospital.”

Altman said CCHS belongs to a network of twelve independent western Iowa rural hospitals and all of them are sharing in that same struggle. “We are actually in better shape than most rural hospitals, however with the recent increase of cases in Cass County that could change quickly,” he said. Bireline noted that CCHS is beginning to see a rise in COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization. “The number of COVID patients hospitalized at CCHS is at an all-time high this week, and the cases we are seeing today reflect community activity from the last several weeks,” she said.

Altman added, “The surge is here and it’s real. We don’t know when it will peak, but too many cases at once should concern all of us. Our staff has been doing tremendous work, but we need everyone’s help in preventing the spread of COVID so we can maintain our workforce. Unless we are willing to make some commitments to reduce the spread, then there is reason to believe this current wave will continue to worsen.”

With the weather beginning to cool and people spending more time indoors, it is likely that cases will continue to increase. Public health messages such as frequent handwashing, practicing physical distancing, wearing a mask, and staying home when ill are more important than ever. “It is critical that entire communities recognize that there is a downstream impact from not social distancing, not wearing a mask, gathering in large crowds, and taking unnecessary chances. All of these actions can impact our local workforce including schools, businesses, as well as the hospitals,” said Altman.

Altman also commented on mask wearing and the recent change in quarantine guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health. “Like many, I personally don’t enjoy wearing a mask, but it is required in the hospital and is highly recommended in other public places based on individual circumstances. Remember, if everyone is wearing a mask, then exposure to someone with COVID who was also wearing a mask does not require a quarantine. Everyone masking supports the desire many of us share – keep kids in school and keep our employees working.”

Bireline and Altman both spoke to the importance of public health messages, and the difficult work done by Cass County Public Health. “Beth Olsen and her team have done an incredible job. They have been working seven days a week for many months now, with no end in sight, and taken it in stride. Like all of us, they didn’t sign up for this pandemic, but have simply been amazing. We want to thank and them for their efforts on behalf of all Cass County residents,” said Altman.

Bireline agreed. “It’s been a tremendously difficult year. We need to stay positive and keep planning for what’s ahead, and we must keep working together. I know that when I’m going through a tough time, it’s the support of those around me – both my family and my work family – that help pull me up out of it. That’s where we’re all at now. We need to rally and do what we can to lift each other up. That solidarity of ‘we are all in this together’ can have a positive impact on our entire well-being and our communities.”