The COVID-19 infection rate continues to trend downward in the Habersham community, according to Habersham Medical Center CEO Tyler Williams, who made the announcement Tuesday during a Hospital Authority meeting.
“Generally speaking, [COVID-19 cases] are down in the community. The community positivity rate was below 10 percent last week. It is trending below 10 percent this week, so I feel safe to say it will stay below 10 percent,” Williams said before going on to explain that this statistic is notable because it enables HMC to allow visitors back into certain units inside the hospital.
“We can normalize operations again until we reach the next surge,” Williams said. “I don’t know when that will be – but they are saying it will eventually come, hopefully not.”
“This is also good because we’re starting to see the number of COVID patients seeking treatment in our organization go down and mirror the positivity rate,” Williams added.
The most recent surge of COVID-19 infections in Habersham County in August and September had created a dire situation for HMC and its employees, according to Williams.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize, but the [COVID] surge got almost as bad in August and September as it was in December and January,” he said.
As the nation and Habersham community continue to cope with the pandemic, new federal funding is available for hospitals, Williams went on to explain, as part of a fourth round of CARES Act funds.
“The only thing different about this round of funding is that hospitals have to go in and apply for [round four],” Williams said. “We’re in the process of finalizing our application to apply for CARES Act funds. It’s important to us because these funds have really helped us sustain our operations and helped invest in much-needed equipment to care for the complex patients that we’ve witnessed with the COVID disease.”
HMC has not been immune to global supply chain issues, Williams added, as the hospital has experienced a continued delay in arrival of new hospital beds. The beds are expected to arrive in mid-November, Williams said.
During the meeting, Williams called the recent COVID-19 vaccine incentive a success for the hospital, as a greater number of HMC employees have since been inoculated.
“I would consider [the centive] to be a success,” Williams said. “The numbers show that 77 individuals responded to the vaccine incentive to get vaccinated. It brings our organizational total up to a 52 percent vaccination rate – which is up from 40 percent as it was last month.”
HMC has also been granted approval from the state of Georgia to officially begin the construction phases of HMC’s nursing home project, according to Williams, adding that HMC plans to send out invitations for a groundbreaking ceremony expected to take place Nov. 11 at the construction site.
The authority plans to hold its next meeting in December, board members said.