DCH Coronavirus Update 9-18-20

Stuffed Animals from Jemma

A kind gesture can spark others toward an even greater good.

That’s what happened after Jemma McCrackin’s stay on the Peds Unit at DCH Regional Medical Center in January 2019. Hospitalized for a severe and rare illness, the 5-year-old received almost 30 stuffed animals from various DCH employees during her stay.

“That was a blessing on us,” said Meg McCrackin, Jemma’s mother. “That probably helped us more than it did Jemma.”

McCrackin and her family became intent on blessing others with stuffed animals. As part of Jemma’s birthday, Sept. 17, the McCrackin family delivered 400 new stuffed animals to DCH Regional Medical Center.

These will be divided between DCH RMC and Northport Medical Center patients. In addition, 100 animals will go to the Long Term Care residents at Fayette Medical Center.

The family raised the funds for the stuffed animals by selling wind chimes made out of kitchen utensils. This allowed the purchase of 1,300 animals, which were also distributed to area nursing homes, and local police and fire departments.

This is the second year the family has donated the stuffed animals across the community. It also takes contributions for the cause starting each July via Jem’s Gems on Facebook.

Testing and Confirmed Cases

To protect patient privacy, DCH has established a minimum threshold of five for reporting numbers of inpatients with laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19.

DCH internal counts as of 2:30 p.m. on 9/18/20:

• 45 inpatients are being treated for COVID-19.
• 15 inpatients who are positive for COVID-19 are being treated in the ICU.
• Five or fewer who are positive for COVID-19 are on ventilators.
• 9 who are positive for COVID-19 are on a BiPAP.
• 3,160 (cumulative) unique positives for COVID-19 tests including results from the ED, triage tent and inpatient. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 20,934 (cumulative) unique negatives for COVID-19 at DCH sites.
• 4,095 (cumulative) positive COVID-19 at DCH sites. These individuals are not necessarily in the hospital.
• 30,540 (cumulative) negative tests at DCH sites.
• 903 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have been discharged.
• 180 inpatients (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died at DCH. This is not an indication of the cause of death, only that the individuals were positive for COVID-19 at the time of death.
• 102 Tuscaloosa County residents (cumulative) who were positive for COVID-19 have died (per the Alabama Department of Public Health).

18-24 Demographic Information

• 3.8 percent of those 18-24 who tested positive for COVID-19 have needed inpatient care at DCH.
• 5.7 percent of women 18-24 who tested positive for COVID-19 have needed inpatient care at DCH.
• 1.1 percent of men 18-24 who tested positive for COVID-19 have needed inpatient care at DCH.