Des Moines Sun

Mercy Medical Center West Lakes recently issued the following announcement.

As we head into our traditional cold and flu season, the Iowa Pediatric Healthcare Collaborative, comprised of Blank Children’s Hospital, ChildServe, MercyOne Children’s Hospital and the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, urges all Iowans to remain diligent in your personal COVID-19 and influenza mitigation efforts to keep our children safe. Now, more than ever, children need our support, our care and our commitment to their future.

We know you’ve read or watched the news to hear we’re at capacity, but perhaps you haven’t heard we’re restricted also in our ability to serve children based on the number of front-line caregivers, nurses and doctors who have remained in the profession following this global pandemic. The number of our health care colleagues who have left their profession as a result of the pandemic is astounding. Sadly, we anticipate it will take quite some time for our hospitals and health care system to rebuild our staffing structure to fully meet community needs.

And perhaps you haven’t heard about the other services that have been impacted at Iowa hospitals due to a shortage of staff. We’ve seen delays in chemotherapy treatment, surgeries, and diagnostic testing, such as EEGs that are used to diagnose seizures.

So, as a collaborative, we urge all Iowans to remain strong in fighting the battle against respiratory conditions and viruses, like RSV, influenza and COVID-19, this year. We know you’re tired and frustrated – so are we. But, we need to remain united in our efforts to protect all Iowans, and especially children, as we navigate another winter with COVID-19.

How can you help? Our advice isn’t anything novel or new, but the actions below do work; they are safe and effective, and are our best chance to reduce the spread of all illnesses this year. By taking these simple measures, you may just ensure we are able to serve all Iowa children, maybe even yours, if you need health care services this year:

• Eligible individuals should get the COVID and flu vaccines as soon as possible.
• Mask responsibly at school, at work and while in large gatherings.
• Adhere to proven safety practices of social distance and hand washing.

Above all, we know all Iowans care about the health of our future leaders and community members. Let’s remain strong in our efforts to protect Iowa children through another winter as we continue to battle the pandemic alongside our regular cold and flu season.

Original source can be found here.