WYOMING, MI -- The leader of a West Michigan healthcare system says the coronavirus pandemic is the defining challenge of our time.
“Most generations have a challenge that defines their moment in history. This is ours,” Dr. Peter Hahn, president and CEO of Metro Health – University of Michigan Health, said in a video message.
“Our legacy will be how we stood together, how we resolved to bring this crisis to its inevitable end and how we opened the door to an even brighter future.”
Metro Health operates a 208-bed hospital in Wyoming and offers primary and specialty care services at 30 locations throughout West Michigan.
As of Monday, April 6, state health officials said Kent County has a total 177 reported cases of coronavirus and five deaths.
Statewide as of Monday, there were a total 17,221 confirmed cases and 727 deaths. Most of the cases in Michigan are in metro Detroit.
The Detroit area, like New York, is having its hospitals near capacity.
“That is why we need careful preparations here in West Michigan, and that is exactly what has been taking place,” Hahn said of the situations in Detroit and New York.
Hahn reminded people about the importance of taking precautions and practicing social distancing.
“By limiting the spread of coronavirus, you are buying precious time not only for healthcare systems and your neighbors, but for scientists around the world racing to find treatments and vaccines,” he said. “You’re buying time for inventors and engineers and manufacturers ramping up production of critical equipment.”
Last week another West Michigan health system official, Spectrum Health President and CEO Tina Freese Decker, released a video message urging people to follow social distancing measures to flatten the curve.
Related: West Michigan’s largest hospital system could exceed capacity in early May, CEO says
She warned that the hospital system could exceed capacity for coronavirus patients in early May.
“The modeling for our area shows that, at its current rate, we would exceed demand for hospital and intensive care services in early May, and this would last for many weeks,” Freese Decker said.
“This peak in cases would be more than our healthcare system, or any healthcare system, could handle.”
Full coverage of the coronavirus in Michigan
CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS
In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.
Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.
Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.
Read more:
Michigan has deadliest day from coronavirus with 110 new deaths
Kent County has 5 deaths from coronavirus, Health Department reports