Billings Clinic emergency department manager Brad Von Bergen and Dr. Jaimee Belsky discuss options for additional space in a hallway there on Sept. 17. The hospital’s intensive care unit was operating at 160% capacity that day. (Billings Clinic)
September 21, 2021
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Montana Covid hospitalizations near 400, more Guard deployed
Gov. Greg Gianforte said Wednesday he will deploy National Guard soldiers to help overburdened hospital staff in Great Falls, as Montana's rising Covid-19 hospitalizations near 400 and a southwestern Montana hospital reports crisis standards of care are imminent.
Covid surge pushes Billings Clinic past the tipping point
Nurses fill the hospital room to turn a patient from his stomach to his back. The ventilator forcing air into him is most effective when he’s on his stomach, so he is in that position most hours of the day, sedated and paralyzed by drugs.