Texas sends thousands of doctors, nurses to hospitals across state swelling with virus patients

DALLAS, Texas (KTVT) — Hospitals across the region and state have put out the call this week: they need nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and others to help care for the increased number of Covid-19 patients they’ve seen lately.

Chris Van Deusen, Director of Media Relations at the Texas Department of State Health Services said: “That’s a critical need in Texas right now. We’re seeing hospitals in various parts of the state, starting to see more and more Covid patients again.”

Van Deusen said the state has recently sent 7,500 nurses, doctors, and others to hospitals across Texas and that another 2,000 are on the way.

That includes nearly 850 of the key personnel in three trauma service areas including the DFW region and two others near it.

Van Deusen said another 850 are on the way to hospitals in these regions.

While the number of Covid-19 patients declined in our region the past couple of days, the President and CEO of the DFW Hospital Council, Stephen Love said that number has shot up again to about 2,555, its highest number yet in the region.

“If we have a big surge, like we’re fearful could come this week, as a result of Thanksgiving, it could really press us to need additional staff,” said Love.

It’s not just the state, but the hospitals themselves bringing in nurses and doctors to make sure there are enough to care for patients.

Love said, “We’ve been very, very concerned about staffing, burnout, workers are fatigued, as you may guess they’ve been at this since March.”

Van Deusen said, “We’re hearing from our partners that we contract with they will continue to be able to provide staff.”

With demand high in Texas and a number of other states, there’s no word how long there will be enough supply of nurses and doctors to go to all the hospitals that need them.