Shelby County Health Department director Dr. Michelle Taylor persuaded the county commission on Thursday to back the mandate. It was needed, she said, to give hospitals a "fighting chance" to keep up with patients.
A letter signed by 16 doctors with the UT Department of Emergency Medicine and the Memphis area Emergency Department Medical Directors describes the rise in delta variant cases "a grave concern."
"Failure to provide mitigation strategies at this point will be catastrophic to the Midsouth and affect health care at every level," the letter warns. "Patients will not receive timely emergent or urgent care for any medical, surgical or obstetrical problem, as the system cannot sustain the current patient load with available resources, much less the projected increase."
Both Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare are facing such a shortage of beds and resources due to COVID cases, the systems have requested assistance from the Tennessee National Guard.
Copyright 2021 WKNO
