COVID-19 forces Choctaw Nation to suspend dental procedures

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Choctaw Nation has suspended non-emergent dental procedures as COVID-19 cases continue to impact its southeastern Oklahoma region, the system’s chief medical officer said Tuesday.

Dr. Jason Hill, with the Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority, said medical professionals are using a heat map to monitor the situation daily and plan to resume routine dental visits when case numbers drop.

He said the tribe also has had to expand its hospital in Talihina to accommodate additional COVID patients and converted one wing of its facility to a negative pressure area so coronavirus patients can be isolated in a bid to slow the spread of the deadly virus.

Hill said all employees who work for the Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority have been affected by COVID-19. The health system, which also operates an outpatient surgery center in Durant and nine clinics spread across the southeast region, has about 1,900 employees and as many as 190 health care providers. The health system’s emergency room in Talihina treats both Indigenous and non-Native residents because it is the only hospital in the area. Combined, its facilities treat more than 250,000 people a year.

“It’s really been all hands on deck,” he said. “Every employee in some way is working to best manage the coronavirus in our system.”

Early on during the pandemic, the tribe’s pharmacy staff had to make hand sanitizer when it wasn’t available. On Tuesday, three out of four lab personnel at one clinic were out because of COVID or related quarantines, Hill said.

Medical professionals from across the state, meanwhile, warned Tuesday that hospitals statewide continued to feel the crunch from a high percentage of hospitalized Oklahomans.

State health officials reported 1,637 COVID-related hospitalizations. All but 113 of those involved Oklahomans who receive care at long-term care facilities.

“ICU beds are the most critical need,” said Patti Davis, president of Oklahoma Hospital Association.

She said hospitals are scaling back procedures and some surgeries to make room for COVID-19 patients. Hospitals are redeploying staff to concentrate on COVID care.

“We know hospitals that are taking floors and reallocating them for COVID care to create additional capacity across Oklahoma,” Davis said.

In Oklahoma City, St. Anthony Hospital erected overflow tents outside its facility this week, she said.

Hospitals in both urban and rural areas plan to use tents to help segregate COVID patients.

“Do I expect you’re going to be seeing some more tents?” she asked. “It’s highly possible.”

Dr. George Monks, president of Oklahoma State Medical Association, said as rates of COVID increase statewide, the vulnerable are most at risk.

He urged municipalities to institute mask ordinances to help slow the spread of the virus.

Nearly 30 towns and cities have some sort of mask requirements. Mask ordinances now cover about 50 percent of Oklahoma’s population, he said.

Janelle Stecklein covers the Oklahoma Statehouse for CNHI's newspapers and websites.