Governor Mike Dunleavy is warning Alaskans about the current strain to the hospital system due to the ongoing COVID-19 surge. In an address posted on Facebook, Dunleavy tells Alaskans they may not be able to receive a certain level of care if they go to the hospital for any reason. The governor says several hospitals are experiencing staff shortages.
Gov. Dunleavy said:
“There’s been a couple changes that have added to the hospital constraint. One is that, literally, we don’t have as many people working at the hospital anymore.”
Dunleavy directed several state agencies to work with hospitals to address hospital capacity constraints. They include expediting the process for licensed healthcare providers, assessing staffing contracts to temporarily support hospitals, allowing for flexibilities to expedite additional staffing, and procuring medical supplies to support hospitals short on reserves.
During the question and answer portion of the press conference, some members of the media asked if the governor should take a tougher stance on COVID-19 given the surge the state is seeing. He said:
“We’re a different country than some other places. We don’t grab our people by the arm and force them to be vaccinated. It’s just not what we do here in this country. It’s not what we’re going to do in this state. When this pandemic hit, we all pulled together. We worked together. We had the second lowest death numbers in the country. People know what they need to do. They need to have conversations with their doctors and make a decision if that’s what they want to do. if they don’t, then they have to understand that they run the risk of getting infected, especially with this variant that is highly contagious. I think I’m talking to Alaskans. I’ve told them my story about having an infection. I’ve told them my story about getting a vaccination. I’ve told them why I would get a vaccination. I’ve had plenty of discussions about folks having conversations with their doctors. The vaccinations are readily available. We were the first to get out in front. We have an excellent health team, an excellent health system. It’s being constrained right now for a whole host of reasons, including the delta variant, as well as folks leaving the workforce. So you have a vaccination. You can use it if you so choose.”
Inpatients with COVID symptoms has increased Central Peninsula Hospital’s capacity to its highest level since the pandemic started.
