By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center is closely monitoring its usage of Personal Protective Equipment for its staff in light of the need for it should COVID-19 cases present at the hospital."We're watching that daily," said Chuck Welch, VP and Chief Business Development Officer for Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System. "As a nation and especially as Hutchinson Regional, if we continue on this burn rate, we will have a shortage in the near future. The amazing thing that I have seen as a community are the people that have come together. We've had people donating masks. We are working together as a community. We have representatives from every single member of every care provision center in Hutchinson. We meet on a call once a week. We talk about supplies, who needs what and we try to do the best we can to keep those dispersed."Welch said there is one hopeful sign regarding such equipment and its availability locally."We've had local vendors reach out to us and say, hey, I can make those," Welch said. "I have the materials and the workers and the machinery to help make those. Even though we're going to, like the rest of the country, possibly run into shortages, we have a community that has really banded together to fill the gaps."The biggest point Welch stressed is unless you need to be hospitalized, the best care you can get may be at home."The care that you receive at the hospital is supportive only," Welch said. "There's no vaccination, there's no medication that we can give you to help cure. There's no silver bullet for this. Right now, unless you need to be admitted to the hospital, even if you have those symptoms, or the Health Department directs you to come to the hospital, we really can't do a ton for you. We're really saving those test kits that we have for the people that are the most sick and need to be admitted to the hospital."They're basically only testing to know whether or not patients need to be put in isolation.

Resource conservation is ongoing at HRMC to be ready for COVID-19 cases