The University of Kansas Health System is treating 75 total COVID patients today, down from 87 Friday. Other significant numbers:

• 816 total COVID deaths during the pandemic, including one yesterday
• 11 deaths so far in March
• 55 deaths in February
• 46 deaths in January
• 13 with the active virus today, 18 Friday
• 1 in ICU, 1 Friday
• 0 on ventilators, 0 Friday

Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Karin Porter-Williamson, division director of Palliative Care, The University of Kansas Health System

• There is a difference between palliative care and hospice care
• Palliative care is team based and focuses on helping patients and families with the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of serious illness.
• Hospice care focuses on comfort measures for those with no good treatment options
• Emotions have evolved during the pandemic. Thought things were better last year but new surge with record numbers of patients was demoralizing

Marilyn Parker, clinical nurse specialist, Palliative Medicine

• Palliative Care team works with other teams caring physically for a patient to come up with best plan of care to help patient meet goals
• Had to learn how to manage a patient’s passing without family members physically present because of COVID
• Pandemic has been tough mentally on the care team. Found ways of easing stress like breathing exercises and bringing a fresh flower for desk daily
• Hopes medical providers learn a lot from the pandemic to help future generations of providers

Kate Shoemaker, social worker, Palliative Medicine

• Helps patients navigate healthcare system with insurance, transportation, affording medicine and helps with grief and bereavement
• Had to be creative with technology during the pandemic to link patients with families who couldn’t be at the bedside
• Wonders about the long term mental health effects of COVID on everyone in the medical field
• Whole team has gone above and beyond to care for the community during the pandemic

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, Infection Prevention and Control

• Of all COVID deaths in health system since the beginning of the year, only four were fully vaccinated, and all had other significant medical problems
• Hospitalizations and deaths are down as we head into spring. But virus is still circulating in the community
• If you’ve had the J&J vaccine, the current recommendation is getting a booster with one of the mRNA vaccines.

            Tuesday, March 22 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. We’ll take you live behind the scenes to our operating rooms to find out what it takes to be a nurse at the health system. We’ll look at what’s driving the demand and talk about opportunities in nursing.

ATTENTION: media procedure for joining:

Zoom link: https://kumc-ois.zoom.us/j/7828978628

Telephone Zoom link: 1-312-626-6799, meeting ID: 782 897 8628

TVU Grid link: UoK_Health_SDI

Restream links: Facebook.com/kuhospital

                               YouTube.com/kuhospital

Send advance questions to medicalnewsnetwork@kumc.edu.