Chief medical officers and chief clinical officers representing 110 Michigan hospitals recently joined to call on state residents to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Regardless of executive orders or local public health directives, healthcare systems across Michigan are united in the effort to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, begins the open letter published by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. It's imperative to this effort that every Michigan resident wear a mask, adhere to social distancing rules and practice regular hand hygiene, they said.
"In recent weeks, we have seen COVID-19 cases trending upward in all regions of the state, and hospitalizations have surged by more than 80 percent," the letter states. "This concerning jump puts our entire healthcare system at risk of another capacity crisis."
If Michigan doesn't change its approach, hospitals could hit capacity, as some Southeastern Michigan hospitals did in the spring, the letter states.
The executives said the push to follow safety measures isn't driven by politics, but data and guidance from healthcare experts. The measures can prevent another surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, but only with the help of the public, they said.
For the full letter, click here.