In a special meeting convened to address rising COVID-19 concerns, Tom Neal, CEO of Highlands Cashiers Hospital, reported a significant increase in COVID cases within the community and surrounding regions. Neal highlighted that the hospital is currently managing an average of two to three COVID cases daily in its emergency department, stressing the facility's limitations as it lacks an intensive care unit (ICU) and must stabilize and transfer patients to other hospitals.

Neal expressed alarm over the strain on healthcare resources, noting that staffing shortages have been exacerbated by the Delta variant, with many healthcare workers either quarantined or hospitalized. He revealed that patients have been transferred as far as Richmond, Virginia, due to local hospital capacities being overwhelmed.

The meeting also addressed the challenges faced by emergency medical services (EMS), which currently has eight full-time vacancies out of 41 positions. Neal shared a letter from Warren Cave, an EMS representative, detailing the operational difficulties, including a recent incident where all supervisory staff were deployed to ambulances due to employee shortages. This situation has raised concerns about the ability to maintain adequate emergency coverage.

Neal emphasized that the prehospital healthcare system is nearing a critical point, with increased delays in patient care and transport. He urged the board to consider measures that could help stabilize the healthcare system, warning that the ongoing COVID surge could hinder access to necessary medical care for all patients, not just those with COVID.

In response to the crisis, Neal reaffirmed his commitment to vaccination efforts, particularly for immunocompromised individuals, and indicated readiness to support the distribution of third vaccine doses once FDA guidance is issued. However, he cautioned that immediate vaccination would not provide immunity for several weeks, underscoring the urgency of addressing the current healthcare challenges.