Dr. Frankovich on Number of Hospital Beds, How Other Critical Health Issues Are Being Addressed

Humboldt County, Ca. (KIEM) — Humboldt county health officer Dr. Frankovich is giving residents a look at how the county is preparing for a possible surge in cases and how other health issues are being addressed during this time.

When it comes to the number of hospital beds, local institutions in the community have a baseline of about 170 beds. Since the onset of Covid-19, staff has worked to increase the number of beds to close to 300 across the county.

State modeling is giving some guidance when it comes predicting a surge in cases, but Public Health understands the range of need is vast and are preparing for whatever may come next.

During this time, a lot of resources have been dedicated to Covid-19, but other critical health issues like hepatitis, STD’s, and the opioid crisis are still being addressed. DHHS staff continues to follow up on cases of syphilis or hepatitis because they are mandatory reportable diseases.

Dr. Frankovich also acknowledges that some programming has been scaled back in recent weeks. Public Health will be releasing more information on the number of people removed from self-isolation this week.