Curry County manager Lance Pyle posted an alert over the weekend that said the ICU was at its max capacity with 11 patients.
“This is very concerning, and we have to bring relief to our medical professionals. They are being pushed to the limit,” Pyle said.
County officials said the rural medical facility is hoping to send more serious COVID patients to Albuquerque area hospitals, specifically through Presbyterian.
“We are well-equipped to be able to provide care to those patients. We incorporate those into our surge planning and our surge capabilities and are confident that we can continue to meet their needs,” said Dr. Jeff Salvon-Harmon, Chief Safety Officer at Presbyterian.
Dr. Salvon-Harmon said what happens over the next two weeks could challenge their ability to handle patients from rural New Mexico.
“By working together, we can mitigate the spread which will bring that relief to our medical professionals,” Pyle said. “In return it would help our local businesses to be able to reopen, our schools to reopen and that benefits our kids—so if we all work together we can get a handle on this and not let it continue.”