More people are testing positive for coronavirus in Arizona.
Question is, are Tucson hospitals ready for a potential surge?
Dr. Gordon Carr, with Banner University Medical Center says they are ready, but need your help to keep it that way.
Carr is the Chief Medical Officer for clinical outcomes at Banner.
“We just need to realize that COVID-19 is not going to go away,” he told KGUN9.
He says Arizona including Tucson have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases.
“Going back about 10 to 14 days and this is translating in increased demand for healthcare services,” he added.
However, Carr says they’re ready for a potential surge.
“We are making sure that we have the staff, the structure and the equipment available to us to meet the need of our community during this very unprecedented time,” he told KGUN9.
Banner activated an emergency plan back in March, and there are plans in place to provide surge capacity.
“We’ve set up a surge line where hospitals across the state if they’re overwhelmed can reach out to any other hospital in the state to share resources or to send patients to other places that might have availability,” he said.
Carr says they also have enough ventilators, medications, and personal protective equipment.
Here’s his message to the public to keep their supply in the green.
“To not let their guard down. So that’s things like avoiding large gatherings, wearing a mask, washing our hands, staying home if we’re not feeling well, not touching our face,” siad Carr.
And even though as of now banner is able to meet the healthcare needs of the community, Carr urges people to keep in mind this can potentially change overnight.
“It is possible that the pandemic could continue to grow and it could very easily get to a point where the healthcare system could be overwhelmed,” he said.
