'It's A Crisis': Commissioners Authorize Funds For Surge Staffing

CONROE, TX — Montgomery County Commissioners passed a motion at their Tuesday meeting authorizing the use of $9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for hospital surge staffing to help get the spread of the delta variant under control.

With the allotted funds, the county will hire 130 medical personnel for a period of eight weeks to help local hospitals that are experiencing staffing shortages while dealing with a surge in patients needing intensive care. In its Monday update, the Montgomery County Public Health District reported that 170 of 174 available ICU beds in the county were occupied with 61 of those being COVID-19 patients. With more medical personnel available, more ICU beds can be utilized.

The delta variant has affected nearly every part of the state as Texas cruised past 10,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations for the first time in six months, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

County Judge Mark Keough said that in talking to hospital personnel when recently visiting local hospitals, he was told the top need to help combat the latest wave of COVID-19 is surge staffing. He said in his walkthroughs, he saw patients in converted closets, hallways and waiting rooms as hospitals tried to manage the overload.

"They need help yesterday," Keough said. "It's a crisis. Major."

Related: Only 4 ICU Beds Available In Montgomery County As COVID-19 Spikes

Jason Millsaps, executive director of the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said that county hospitals need 230 medical staff members to deal with the surge in hospitalizations. With Gov. Greg Abbott authorizing surge staffing measures Monday to help hospitals across Texas, Millsaps said he is expecting 90 to 100 medical personnel to come to Montgomery County from the state.

Among the short-term medical personnel coming to the county will be pediatricians, ER personnel, telemetry nurses and ICU personnel, Millsaps said.

Millsaps reported that the rise in hospitalizations is largely in the unvaccinated population, saying that 91 to 92 percent of hospitalizations in the county are unvaccinated people. He also said 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds are being hospitalized with COVID-19 at higher rates than in previous waves. That age demographic also has the lowest rates of vaccinations in the county outside of children who are ineligible to be vaccinated, according to Millsaps.

Millsaps also said he was keeping an eye on nearby rural counties with lower vaccination rates. He said he is expecting Montgomery County hospitals will be receiving more patients from those areas since they are the closest facilities to those people.

"I know there is a lot of misinformation and skepticism out there, but seeing it with your own eyes is totally different," Millsaps said. "Nearly 100 percent [of COVID-19 patients] in the ICU are unvaccinated. We walked one hospital yesterday and saw a 36-year-old male on a BiPap, on an ECMO waiting on a lung transplant, unvaccinated. It’s pretty serious and with this help with staff, it’s going to make sure that not just the COVID patients but all our patients in the county that need hospital care are going to be taken care of.”

The court approved $136,111.20 to be used to purchase more stretchers as well as $150,000 to purchase medical supplies and personal protective equipment, both from ARPA funds. Millsaps said he likely would be back for the Commissioners Court meeting on Aug. 20 to add more money to the request for medical supplies and PPE.

The commissioners also approved a proposal from Hagerty Consulting to hire four employees for 28 weeks to assist the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management with their COVID-19 call center as cases rise. The cost of $268,800 will be paid with ARPA funds.

Millsaps added that the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management was looking into starting a pop-up mass vaccination site, possibly at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. He emphasized this would not be an everyday site, like the one at Woodforest Bank Stadium that closed June 1, but would be a one-day event with a follow up for second doses.

Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said he liked the idea but proposed a precinct-focused approach that would have multiple sites spread across the county, giving residents easier access to the mass vaccination events. Millsaps agreed and said his office would look into getting that set up soon.

In Montgomery County, 49.23 percent of eligible residents age 12 and older are fully vaccinated, compared to 53.63 percent in Texas, according to DSHS.

How to get vaccinated

DSHS has set up a public vaccination website to help Texans register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment close to them. To schedule an appointment, click here.

National pharmacies CVS and Walgreens also are distributing the vaccine across the country. To check availability in your area and register for a vaccine, click here for CVS and here for Walgreens.

For more information on vaccination locations throughout Texas, click here.