By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Dr. Scott Pauly from the Hutchinson Clinic noted Tuesday at the Board of County Commissioners meeting that part of the staffing shortage Hutchinson is facing has to do with being a little behind other states when it comes to the spread of the Delta variant.
"Part of staffing issues, no matter how much we pay, is we're in competition with everybody else," Pauly said. "Texas, for example, is already recruiting actively nurses and medical staff from other states and I'd say Arkansas included, those are the two most close ones trying to pull individuals in, because their problem right now is three to four weeks ahead of ours."
Pauly noted that at least in Hutchinson, it's not a doctor shortage, it's a nursing shortage.
"Thank God we have the pulmonologists, because prior to them being here, we would have been short staffed in that scenario," Pauly said. "Luckily, they arrived within the year prior to the pandemic. Also, when you have honey, you attract everything else. Not only are we providing the best care to the people of Reno County, on a daily basis, the hospital is getting calls from Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, states further away, because at this point, they are beyond capacity."
The important thing is that, as a regional medical center, HRMC takes care of much more than Reno County residents.
"Our number of deaths would be much higher if we didn't have that great care," Pauly said. "Our mortality rate for COVID patients is actually lower than you see other places, because of the care. Additionally, our hospitalization rate per outpatient COVID diagnosis is lower. People much more expert than me attribute that to the use of monoclonal antibodies and the early adoption in this community."
Pauly told the commission that since July 23, the clinic has administered 98 doses of Regeneron.