To provide support during the worst surge since the beginning of the pandemic, The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force selected BJC Christian Hospital as a priority facility to receive federal assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
A team of 44 health care professionals, including doctors and registered nurses, have arrived at Christian Hospital. According to a statement, HHS indicated it could deploy resources to only one local hospital.
On Saturday, Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO.), St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page, and FEMA Region 7 Regional Administrator Andrea Spillars visited BJC Christian Hospital and met with Christian Hospital President Rick Stevens and the federal medical personnel providing relief in the face of staffing shortages.
“When I visited Christian Hospital late last year, our health care workers expressed the urgent need for relief,” said Bush.
“Additional relief has now arrived. Meeting with the federal medical personnel at Christian Hospital gave me hope that when we make our voices heard and work together, we can save lives. Securing this assistance marks only a continuation of our work. We will not stop pushing until St. Louis has all we need to make it through this pandemic.”
Page said health care workers “have been overwhelmed by this persistent virus, seeing day after day the toll of COVID-19.”
“These added resources at Christian will offer relief to workers and ensure that patients continue to get the vital attention they need for all aspects of care.”
“All of our staff throughout Christian Hospital have shown dedication and commitment to excellent patient care as we continue together in our mission for health and safety,” Rick Stevens, president of Christian Hospital, said. “This aid serves as a beacon of hope for us as we continue to serve our community during this unprecedented time.”
The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force submitted requests last week for federal aid to support 11 facilities in our region. In addition to the impact from overwhelming numbers of COVID patients, providing resources to underserved communities was a critical factor in choosing Christian, located in North County, as the facility to receive this aid, according to a statement.
In the request, the current COVID-19 surge is the most challenging disaster ever faced by the health care systems in the St. Louis region, which have weathered this storm over the past two years together. However, it’s now necessary to request assistance from the federal government, according to the St. Louis Pandemic Task Force.
“With every day, we break records in admissions and hospitalizations,” Dr. Alex Garza, SSM Health chief community health officer at and co-lead of the Pandemic Task Force, said. “There is no single healthcare system that has not been impacted by this surge in patients with the entire region facing dire situations. Our hope is that our federal partners swiftly deploy resources to help our depleted and demoralized workforce.”
“This COVID response takes a whole community effort that involves the local, state and federal governments, the private sector, our health care workers and each one of us to help Missouri and our nation move beyond this critical stage in the pandemic,” said Spillars.
