Upstate SC hospitals near capacity, as doctors plead for help

In an unprecedented move, leaders of the five Upstate health centers held a joint press conference Monday to say their hospital beds and ICUs are stretched almost to capacity, and without the community taking precautions over the holiday season, the situation will be untenable.

All said hospitalizations have doubled since right before the Thanksgiving holiday. The increase is occurring across the state but is markedly higher in the Upstate, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Dr. Marcus Blackstone of Bon Secours St. Francis in Greenville said the reason for the increase is a segment of the population are not wearing masks, not social distancing.

He said it’s easy to see: Just go into any big box store, and there are people unmasked and crowded together.

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Christopher Lombardozzi said all health care workers feel frustrated.

“We know what needs to be done,” he said.

People think they are jeopardizing themselves only, he said, but that is not the case.

Dr. Wendell James of Prisma Health said people are responsible for each other’s health, and, with vaccines being available to the public early next year, the end of the pandemic is near.

“Let’s not blow it now,” he said.

Anmed Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Mock said 10 months into the pandemic, hospital beds and nursing staff are limited. He called the pandemic “the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime.”

“Each of us has a responsibility to do our part to lower the spread of this disease,” he said.

As they have done for months, they all implored people to wear masks, practice social distancing and wash hands. They also encouraged people not to get together in large groups for the holidays, especially New Year’s Eve.

Mock said, “Only gather for holiday meals if it’s a small gathering and, if at all possible, can be held outdoors with adequate social distancing.”

He said the virus is rampant because people gathered for Thanksgiving. Small family gatherings are increasingly responsible for the spread of the virus, he said.

The joint press conference was held over Zoom.