Freeman Hospital West In Joplin Opens New COVID Unit To Accommodate Case Spike

As Oklahoma hospitals see a rise in COVID patients coming from Missouri, a Joplin hospital is adding a new COVID unit.

Tulsa's proximity to COVID hot spots in neighboring states means patients get sent to Oklahoma when smaller hospitals fill up. Freeman West Hospital in Joplin has seen a spike in cases but Dr. Robert McNab, Freeman Health System's COVID-19 response director, hopes a new ward keeps transfers low.

“It’s disappointing to see the rock roll back down the hill and realize, ‘Oh boy, I’ve been here before and I didn’t like it the first time,'” he said.

Dr. McNab hopes the move will help Freeman Health increase the number of patients it can care for - and avoid transfers to nearby hospitals which Dr. Dale Bratzler with the University of Oklahoma says are also strained.

“I think all of us are concerned about hospitalizations," Dr. Bratzler said.

"I know in Northeast Oklahoma they’re already stretched with respect to ICU capacity because of COVID-19.”

Earlier this week, Integris Hospital in Grove reported being asked to take COVID patients from Arkansas and Missouri. Counties in the northeast and southeast Oklahoma are bearing the highest increases per capita and the numbers show central Oklahoma has so far been spared a big spike.

Despite that Dr. Bratzler says the number of unvaccinated communities in Oklahoma has allowed COVID to take firmer hold than in other states.

Related Story: OU Health's Chief COVID Officers Provides New Delta Variant Details

“Depending on the report that you look at, we’re number 10th in the nation in terms of the daily number of new cases per 100-thousand population," he said.

This is all part of a problem that both Dr. Bratzler and Dr. McNab say could be solved with more vaccines.