SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – As early as next week, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said the state will be sending 1,100 medical staff to 57 hospitals across the state.
Baptist DeSoto and Methodist Olive Branch are two of the hospitals slated to get extra staff. In fact, Baptist DeSoto said it’s already gotten an additional two paramedics, which has allowed it to extend the hours of its monoclonal antibody clinic.
Statewide, the staffing boost is expected to free up an extra 212 ICU beds.
“That’s gonna take some pressure off the medical system in which it currently finds itself because of this pandemic,” said Stephen McCraney, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
During a press conference Thursday afternoon, Reeves didn’t address DeSoto County’s request for a field hospital. County officials said they still hadn’t heard back from the state as of Thursday evening.
“Our real priority right now has been to make sure that we have staffing for those beds that are in brick-and-mortar hospitals,” said Jim Craig with the Mississippi State Department of Health.
The state has reported 37 new hospital admissions since Monday, bringing total hospitalizations to more than 1,600.
