While the number of hospitalizations from COVID-19-related cases has not been an issue, Salem Township Hospital President Alex Nazarian says the number of positive cases being found has risen quickly. He says while there were only 28 cases among staff and the community tested in June, the number of positives is up to 100 in July.
Nazarian says the hospital is continuing to deal with supply chain issues as well.
“We have a department of four people who are on the phone constantly trying to get those supplies. They have a directive that whenever you find something, buy it because we know we are going to use it. So find space so we can store it safely because at some point it’s possible that we will have a shortage of that.”
And a new shortage has further delayed the completion of the new emergency room entrance project.
“Tempered glass, I mean who would’ve thought that would be an issue, but we have been waiting for it since April. And finally, we got it on Friday.”
Nazarian is cautious about saying when the project will be completed, noting a preliminary and a final inspection by the Illinois Department of Public Health still needs to be completed. He says that could take six to eight weeks but could be extended longer if state officials won’t come because of high COVID numbers.
Salem Township Hospital had a positive bottom line of $118,000 in June, lower than the first two months of the fiscal year. Nazarian says expenses were higher than normal and the number of inpatients was down. Meanwhile, the number of those utilizing outpatient services remained stable and strong.
