Arkansas hospital leaders tell Lt. Gov. Griffin hospitals are ready as elective care resumes

Lieutenant Governor Tim Griffin convened a virtual town hall with hospital leaders from across Arkansas to discuss how COVID-19 has affected care delivery, capacity and patient behavior, and what systems are doing as some elective services resume.

Hospital executives said communities across the state have largely avoided the severe surges seen in some national hot spots, and they described steps taken to protect patients and staff while restoring services. "We went from doing maybe 50 or so telehealth visits ... and we're at probably about 4,000 a month right now, just in pediatrics," Marcy Dotter, CEO of Arkansas Children's Hospital, said, citing a rapid expansion of virtual visits. Several speakers added that they expect a lasting shift to telemedicine, with one executive estimating 20 to 30 percent of outpatient visits will remain virtual.

Why it matters: Administrators said deferred care and delayed screenings have reduced hospital revenue and contributed to sicker patients arriving later in the course of illness. "Our business has been down about 35% throughout this experience," Troy Wells of Baptist Health said, noting that systems are now encouraging patients to return for routine and urgent care. Baptist reported systemwide figures it said included about 87 inpatient COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths in its hospitals; since mid-March the system recorded 617 employees off duty for exposure or symptoms, with 11 currently out.

What leaders reported: Executives described multiple operational changes and resources deployed during the pandemic. Chris Barber of St. Bernard's said his hospital stood up a COVID clinic and drive-through testing, created dedicated emergency-room space for suspect cases, and cited regional surge planning that allowed the system to scale critical-care capacity when needed. Barber said his region could scale to about 198 critical-care beds and that coordination across hospitals produced more than 1,000 regional beds available for surge needs.

Testing and PPE: Panelists said testing availability has improved since early shortages, with more commercial and in‑house rapid testing capacity, but that local turnaround times still limit some rural elective procedures. Philip Gilmore of Ashley County Medical Center said turnaround delays complicate scheduling for elective surgery in his rural service area near the Louisiana border. On personal protective equipment, speakers credited state coordination and private donations with easing early shortages and said hospitals have adapted inventory and use practices to reduce consumption.

Clinical outcomes and collaboration: Dr. Bruce Murphy of the Arkansas Heart Hospital said Arkansas has benefited from shared clinical experience and collaboration among infectious-disease specialists. "We've had several long term ventilator patients, and miraculously, people on the ventilator for 15 to 18 days, they've all gone home," he said, characterizing outcomes in the state as better than in some larger outbreaks. Executives emphasized cross-hospital clinician coordination, shared consultants and regional planning as factors in those outcomes.

Visitor policies and family communication: Because visitor limits remain in force at many facilities, hospitals described alternative advocacy and communication approaches. Eric Pinalto of Mercy Hospital System Northwest said pastoral-care staff have been designated as patient advocates and systems used grants (Cox and Microsoft) to supply iPads so families can join clinical conversations remotely.

Remaining concerns and next steps: Leaders urged the public not to delay needed care and emphasized continued masking, hand hygiene and testing. They also noted persistent rural challenges — testing turnaround and ventilator availability — and signaled long-term changes to supply chains and inventory practice. Several hospitals posted resources and guidance on their websites and social-media channels to help patients understand what to expect.

The town hall closed after about an hour; Griffin said unanswered questions submitted online would receive follow-up responses the next day.