Good news, bad news from Henry Ford Health System:
Henry Ford Hospital (File photo)
More than 98 percent of its staff has either received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, or has received an approved medical or religious exemption. That's the good news.
The bad news: Staffing is so tight the hospital is closing off 120 beds, less than 10 percent of its total.
"The emergency departments have been very, very busy, as well as our hospitals," said Dr. Adnan Munkarah, executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Henry Ford Health. "Unfortunately, our health care system, as well as other health care systems across the region, state and nation, are facing unprecedented staffing challenges, only exacerbated by this pandemic. Because of those challenges, we've had to temporarily close 120 of our inpatient beds across the health system."
... Munkarah said most of the bed closures are in the Detroit and Jackson campuses, in general practice units and a few intensive care beds.
"We're not curtailing any services," he said, adding this will help have the most appropriate staffing to provide the most intensive care possible.
HFHS was the first Michiugan hospital to mandate Covid vaccines for all employees, and the response has been generally positive. In June, when the mandate was imposed, the percent of staff vaccinated was at 68 percent. Employees who refuse vaccination or to get an approved exemption face a three-week, unpaid suspension, and have until Oct. 1 to change their minds.
