Morristown hospital at pandemic plateau; economy must reopen slowly to avert ‘disaster,’ warns Atlantic CEO

Atlantic Health CEO Brian Gragnolati fields COVID-19 questions online, April 28, 2020.
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The good news: COVID-19 patients now comprise less than half the patients at Morristown Medical Center.

But this is no time for victory laps, according to Atlantic Health CEO Brian Gragnolati, who on Tuesday said social distancing, improved testing and contact-tracing will be essential until a vaccine is ready– possibly another year or two–to avoid a second, deadlier wave of the novel coronavirus.

“We’ve been fighting this tide, and trying to beat it down so it doesn’t overwhelm the system,” said Gragnolati, wearing a protective mask during a half-hour webcast.

“But we have to be careful that we do not go back to a point where that tide, now receding, comes roaring back at a higher level…. That will truly, truly, truly be a disaster,” he warned.

Reopening the economy will be more like adjusting a dimmer dial than flicking a switch, he predicted.

Attending large sporting events, “elbow-to-elbow” concerts or packed restaurants won’t be advisable for the foreseeable future, said Gragnolati, who oversees six hospitals including Morristown Medical Center. He envisions a world of disposable menus, obsessive hand-washing, telemedicine and Zoom meetings.

Atlantic Health will keep taking its cues, he said, from Gov. Phil Murphy, who this week announced a six-phase plan for re-starting the economy.

 

Gov. Murphy’s plan for reopening New Jersey’s economy after COVID-19.

Expanded testing and the ability to identify, trace and contain flareups are central to the governor’s plan. Gragnolati said these capabilities will become even more crucial if, as some health experts fear, COVID-19 coincides with the next flu season. This testing infrastructure does not yet exist, he said.

COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS

Through Tuesday, 6,442 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported across New Jersey; 113,856 people have tested positive for the virus.

Some 377 of those deaths, and 5,128 positive tests, have occurred in Morris County. Through Monday, Morristown had 390 confirmed cases; Morris Township had 225, and Morris Plains, 51.

At least two Morristown residents have been identified as victims.  Atlantic Health reopened a former rehab center in Morristown as a COVID-19 hospice.

Since peaking on April 9, 2020, COVID-19 cases in the Atlantic network have declined by 35 percent, to 544 patients, which Gragnolati described as “a kind of plateau.”  The system includes hospitals in Summit, Pequannock, Newton and Hackettstown.

On the plus side, 1,700 coronavirus patients have transitioned from the hospitals to recovery.

But many COVID patients remain in critical care, and on ventilators, Gragnolati said.

“When people get sick, they really get sick, and they stay on ventilator a long time.”

Another disturbing side-effect of the pandemic: People are not seeking medical treatment for non-COVID conditions. Gragnolati, a former EMT, said Atlantic paramedics have been seeing twice the usual number of calls where people are pronounced dead at the scene.

“We are open for care. We are open for safe care,” he emphasized, noting that more than 1,000 babies have been delivered at network hospitals during the pandemic.

Going forward, Atlantic is preparing its facilities to continue treating COVID-19 patients–and to scale up quickly if necessary–until a vaccine is developed, Gragnolati said. Efforts are underway to stockpile personal protective equipment and ventilators, and to test medications. So far, there is no “silver bullet” drug, he acknowledged.

More onsite test kits –many more — are needed, he added. Atlantic also has been gleaning lessons about the emotional and physical toll of this pandemic on its front-line staff, who often have served as surrogates for families of patients dying under quarantine.

“This is a time like no other. And if you’re not feeling anxious or you’re not feeling a little uncertain, or uneven, I would argue, you’re not paying attention,” Gragnolati said.

“There were so many times that we could have stumbled because of the overwhelming levels of volume and stress on the system — not having potentially enough vents (ventilators), and how do we innovate around that?

“And I saw our teams come together in ways that you would have dreamed about, and done it with an agility and a speed that healthcare’s not known for, in terms of change,” the CEO said. “Atlantic is an amazing place.”

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1 COMMENT

  1. Why would you wear a mask on a webcast? Just as inappropriate as wearing one in a car. Inappropriate fear mongering. Scientists have shown very little to no evidence that masks, especially home made masks or even regular surgical masks, protect anyone. Just spreading fear.

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