79.8 % of Area's Ventilators Available as of Yesterday Afternoon's SITREP

As of  4:52 Yesterday Afternoon, county reports indicate that 79.8% of Ventilators in our Area's three main hospitals are open and available for use.  This is good news!

For weeks now I have been closely watching the numbers of ventilators locally available at our area's hospitals---via numbers provided by staff and rolled up into a daily SITREP.  What I will remain fixed upon is the number of ventilators locally and the percentage of these open and available for patient use.  This is a data point I believe we need to watch very closely as I have stated and for the reasons expressed previously here, here, and here.

But just as of Yesterday afternoon, I have been told the entire report is not to be released.  Commissioners still have access to the data via webeoc-- but the full report now sports a disclaimer on the top (that wasn't there before in previous versions)  that says:

"*FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY*

This document is confidential and exempt from Florida Public Records Law

Under Chapter 119.071(3) Fla. Stat."

Because of this new guidance I will no longer be linking the full report here on my blog, but rather only reporting the local Hospitals' total daily ventilator and beds available data.  

I've not been told this portion of the report is classified information-----it isn't and it shouldn't be.  Heck---I'm the commissioner  that demanded this information be gathered and included in the Board's SITREP daily---this information wasn't even being collected before I pushed for it!

During times of panic, folks need information and complete transparency in real time.  This eases anxiety and fear and I believe the board has spoken on this and wants maximum transparency as we all work together to navigate this COVID-19 crisis.

As of late yesterday evening, according to yesterday's SITREP, we have 174 Ventilators available for patient use out of 218 total ventilators in our area's hospitals.  

79.8% of our area's ventilators are available.
Additionally, we have 581 Beds available in these same area hospitals out of a total of 1334 total.


43.5% of our area's hospital beds are available.

82% of Area Ventilators Available as of Yesterday Afternoon

Right now Pensacola area hospitals report that 82% of their total ventilators are available for patient use.  This is good news for our area.

For weeks now I have been closely watching the numbers of ventilators locally available at our area's hospitals---via numbers provided by staff and rolled up into a daily SITREP Commissioners receive.

Yesterday we did not receive the SITREP, and there are now new concerns that the daily SITREP may contain information that should not be released to the public.

I have asked if it is a public document, and initially I was told it was so I have linked these reports here on the blog very frequently.  Again, these reports contain good data that I believe can serve to reassure the public that the County is working this issue with tremendous diligence.

If it is indeed not public, I believe the portions that are for public consumption must continue to be released.  And if it is NOT a public document, I have asked for the specific statutory exemption that makes this daily report unreleasable under Florida statutes.

But the good news to report this morning is that our total number of open and available ventilators for patient use is back up above 80%.  (It dropped to 74% just this past Tuesday).

As of late yesterday evening, we have 178 Ventilators available for patient use out of 218 total ventilators in our area's hospitals.  81.6% are available.

Additionally, we have 614 Beds available in these same area hospitals out of a total of 1334 total.

46% are available.

COVID-19 In Escambia County: Ventilators Available Percentage Drops 12 Points in 4 Days....

According to the data contained last night's SITREP on COVID-19 as compared to Friday's same report---Ventilator numbers have increased, but the percentage of available ventilators total at area hospitals has decreased 12% in 4 days.  Worth watching.....

The members of the Escambia Board of County Commissioners are receiving multiple reports daily from multiple sources.

Add to this other information we see in the media and hear from our own circles of acquaintances--and it becomes almost an information overload.

But cutting through all of the noise daily like a giant arctic Icebreaker ship is the SITREP that our Emergency operations folks put together for us and send out each afternoon.

Here is the most recent SITREP from yesterday afternoon 

Lots of good information in here from multiple sources all rolled up.

The intriguing data point I will remain fixed upon is the number of ventilators locally and the percentage of these open and available for patient use.  This is a data point I believe we need to watch very closely as I have stated and for the reasons expressed previously here, here, and here.

In this one area--The percentage available has just dropped precipitously..... (just last Saturday--three days ago--- we had 86% available)  Three days later we sit with 74% available......a 12 percentage point decrease in three days.

Currently, per last evening's sitrep--here is where we are in real time with ventilators at our three local hospitals:

218 Ventilators Total (up 14 from last 204 number  due to the inclusion of Select Specialty Care's ventilator numbers)
162  Ventilators Available  
74% Available

A Tidbit of Good News Locally in the Fight Against Coronavirus? Yes! 86% of Area Hospital Ventilators Available

As of yesterday afternoon's Escambia County Emergency Operations Center SITREP--Escambia County's 3 Hospitals report 86% of total ventilators are open, available for patient use.

In the midst of all the gloom and doom over the Chinese Coronavirus/ COVID-19  Pandemic and the devastating impacts we as a nation are enduring because of this virus----there is a tiny bright spot of hope locally in Escambia County that is worth reporting.

Under the ESF 8 section of yesterday afternoon's Escambia County EOC's Daily COVID-19 SITREP, a telling statistic was added.  

Ventilators.

How many ventilators do we have locally total, and how many are currently utilized. Taking these two numbers together we can work out the percentage of the total that are currently free in real time.

Right now that percentage stands at 86% available and ready for use if necessary by patients

This is actually up three percentage points from earlier this week when I reported this stat on this blog.

I asked this 15 days ago at our meeting in mid-march, and I have been asking ever since. 

I've been asking county admin to acquire this data from the hospitals daily and to add this information to our SITREP daily in real time.  I also asked about the number of Hospital beds total we have locally because this is another  I think this needs to be put out daily to reassure the population locally that we are not experiencing the shortages like other areas are, namely New York, Michigan, California, and New Orleans.

Both of these metrics are now officially in our SITREP that goes out daily.

And we do need to watch it daily, this percentage.  It will be our trip wire, early warning system, canary in the coalmine.  It will tell us if we are going to experience a situation like these other areas are dealing with currently.

The other thing to be mindful of:  In New York for example, the Governor there is having the National Guard forcefully take ventilators from that state's other communities that do not have large virus outbreaks so that these units can be transferred to New York City, where there is a desperate need for more ventilators.  Could that happen here?  Could our available ventilators be requisitioned for Miami and other areas of S. Florida where they are having a bigger problem that we are having here?  Because, what if that happens and then our cases expand to the point that the ventilators remaining are inadequate for our citizens?  Then what?

Right now it is simply a hypothetical.  Thankfully.

We all need to watch this closely!

Per last night's SITREP

We have a total of 204 Ventilators between the three major Hospitals in Escambia County. (reduced from 227 previously reported due to the erroneous counting of neonatal ventilators by one of our hospitals).

176 Ventilators are open and available.  176 divided by 204 indicates a ventilator figure,  open and available locally,  of 86%

Locally we have 1334 Hospital Beds and the number occupied is 737, leaving a total of 597 available, as of yesterday's SITREP

This equates to about 45% of local hospital beds available at the moment.

What is the Current State of "Ventilator" Availability in Escambia County's Hospitals? 83% are Available...

13  days ago at our last Board of County Commissioners' meeting- I asked the CEO's of the area's three Hospitals for the total numbers of ventilators possessed locally, and the numbers utilized and the numbers vacant.

These are numbers I want to see reported to the county's Emergency Operations Center daily.  This would be useful information for the citizens to know.

Why?

To me, this will be the earliest indicator of a significant problem locally the likes of which we are seeing in New York, New Orleans, New Jersey and Washington State.  This number, the number utilized as a percentage of the total available, will be our area's "canary in the coal mine" early warning system.

So I have requested and I will continue to push for this metric to be provided daily and placed on our daily SITREP.  I'll report that here as well.

Just today, I received a current report--updated since my blog post of Saturday.

Here's our current status:

"Here are the number of ventilators at the hospitals:

Total Number  - 227

Total Available – 188

Total In-use - 39"

NOTE:  Sacred Heart Hospital has reported an increased total number of ventilators available today as compared to last week---thus the increase today of total number of ventilators since my first post on this topic Saturday.

What is the Current State of "Ventilator" Availability in Escambia County's Hospitals? 80% are Available...

Ventilators like this one are a subject of extreme interest as we are in the midst of the Chinese Coronavirus.  I have requested a daily report of the total number available in Escambia County as a percentage of the total.  Right now 80% of our local hospital's ventilators are currently available according to the data I received late yesterday afternoon

We hear all about it in the news, the need for and lack of "Ventilators" in areas hard-hit by COVID-19.

The Governor of New York and the President of the United States are engaged in an open war of words in the media over availability of "Ventilators."

The President is using the Defense Production Act to FORCE General Motors to manufacture ventilators for the country.

Bottom Line:  Suddenly, everyone now cares a great deal about about a piece of hospital equipment that three months ago nobody even recognized at all........

Nine days ago at our last Board of County Commissioners' meeting- I asked the CEO's of the area's three Hospitals for the total numbers of ventilators possessed locally, and the numbers utilized and the numbers vacant.

These are numbers I want to see reported to the county's Emergency Operations Center daily.  This would be useful information for the citizens to know.

Why?

To me, this will be the earliest indicator of a significant problem locally the likes of which we are seeing in New York and Washington State.  This number, the number utilized as a percentage of the total available, will be our area's "canary in the coal mine" early warning system.

So I have requested and I will continue to push for this metric to be provided daily and placed on our daily SITREP.  I'll report that here as well.

Yesterday, I received the first report I requested since the meeting 9 days ago.

Here's our current status:

"Here are the number of ventilators at the hospitals:

Total Number  - 201

Total Available – 162

Total In-use - 39"