My 90-year-old mom took a fall on Wednesday, which is never a good thing. The pain was really bad, and we were afraid she might have broken a hip. We had to go to the E.R. for an X-Ray.
In this rural part of northern Minnesota, the nearest hospital is in a town with a population of 4,000. It used to be a Catholic hospital, but was bought up by a large health-care company several years ago. While Minnesota has kept its COVID-19 numbers low compared to many states, you’d be a fool to think it’s not everywhere. I was not thrilled to be stepping through those doors, to say the least, and what I found was really pretty troubling.
At first, things looked pretty good. We were met at the door by a woman in mask and gloves who took our temperatures and asked if either of us had a cold or a cough. With negative answers to both, and apparently healthy temperatures, we were allowed passage.
A different woman checked my mom in, while sitting behind a counter with a table in front of it to assure a six foot difference. She was not wearing any gloves or mask. When it was time to sign the paperwork, Mom was handed a communal pen. Meanwhile, the other woman behind the desk had her fingers in her mouth for some reason — maybe something stuck in her teeth, I don’t know. Anyway, I watched and saw that she never washed or disinfected her hands after that little exercise. Another guy came to check in, and sat with the fingers-in-mouth gal, and was also handed a communal pen. Totally gross, even if there weren’t a pandemic, but in this day and age it’s unforgivable!
So, then it was time to wait. Mom sat in a chair right outside the E.R. doors, and I stood next to her. After standing for about 15 minutes, fingers-in-mouth gal offered me a chair. I declined. She insisted, and then her co-worker got into it, both of them insisting I sit. I finally said, “I’m trying really hard not to touch anything”. Fingers-in-mouth gal said “That’s just silly. All of these virus numbers are way overblown!” I could hardly believe my ears. I asked her where on Earth she’d heard that, and of course her answer was “Fox News”. I told her to start watching some reputable news station, and that the numbers were much more likely grossly under-reported, due to the lack of testing. She just gave a “hmph” and walked away.
So, after a 25-minute wait, we were ushered into the E.R. The main desk there had five people behind it, in very close quarters — not a mask or glove in sight. The nurse that came into get my mom’s vitals, information, etc., was without protection. When she came back to give a pain shot, she was wearing gloves.
When the doctor came in to examine Mom, she was not wearing gloves or a mask. Amazing! While Mom was down at the X-ray department, I watched two EMTs bring in an elderly gentleman on a gurney. They were both wearing masks, as was their patient.
We were there for a total of three hours. Not once did I see anyone wipe down common surfaces, like door handles or countertops — NOT ONE TIME! Everywhere I looked there were boxes of gloves and paper masks, but none of the staff were using them. I felt like I was spending the afternoon in coronaville, and nobody was doing the least little thing about it. I was amazed!
I think a lot of folks in rural America have their heads buried in the sand about COVID-19. I’m afraid that we’ll all come to regret it.