A major health care provider in northern Michigan says it's putting an emphasis on COVID-19 care and reducing other services after a spike in the region.

Michigan hospital leaders are worried about health care workers becoming exhausted by eight months of battling COVID-19 as hospitals start to fill up with patients once again. As state officials announce 6,000 new COVID-19 cases daily in Michigan, hospitalizations are starting to trend in wrong direction. During a virtual discussion with the presidents and CEOS of major Michigan health systems, the most pressing concern isn’t space, but staff availability. “It may not be access to a facility need, it may actually be staffing,” Decker said. So that has clearly been our top concern.”LOCAL: Macomb County a ‘pocket’ of Michigan that struggles with mask wearing, Henry Ford Health CEO says

The president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System said Macomb County is a “pocket” of Michigan that struggles with COVID-19 mask compliance. Wright Lassiter spoke about the importance of following COVID-19 safety protocols during a virtual panel conversation among Michigan hospital leaders. He said while most people in the state wear masks, there are “pockets” where compliance isn’t up to par. “I would say that while we do see mask usage in many places, there are pockets where there is not good compliance,” Lassiter said. “In the Henry Ford system, our Henry Ford Macomb Hospital has the highest volume by far.

The head of the hospital association in Michigan said one of the main problems with the spread of COVID-19 statewide is that people aren’t convinced certain safety measures are necessarily, so they aren’t going to follow them. Brian Peters, the CEO of the Michigan Heath and Hospital Association, joined top hospital officials Thursday for a virtual discussion about the state of Michigan’s COVID-19 pandemic. Yet Michigan is still seeing its largest spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, with case totals and test positivity rates rising statewide. LOCAL: Macomb County a ‘pocket’ of Michigan that struggles with mask wearing, Henry Ford Health CEO saysHe compared COVID-19 protocols to wearing seat belts on the road, saying people won’t follow rules unless they genuinely believe they are saving lives. He and Beaumont Health president and CEO John Fox both said visitors have even resisted simple COVID-19 safety measures while physically inside hospitals.

As the number of Michiganders hospitalized with COVID-19 rises again, hospitals aren’t planning to shut down elective surgeries. But if the health care system gets overwhelmed, that might be a measure of last resort. Most importantly, health care workers don’t want Michiganders to have to delay necessary care. While all the hospital leaders agreed they don’t want to shut down elective procedures, it’s possible the spread of COVID-19 could reach a point where that’s the only option. That means Michigan hospitals won’t easily be able to transfer patients elsewhere if they reach capacity in terms of space or workers.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is seeing its most rapid spread of COVID-19, and hospitals are trying to keep up without the same resources as the more populated areas of the state. Gar Atchison, the CEO of UP Health System-Marquette and market CEO of UP Health System, joined a discussion among state hospital system leaders Thursday to talk about how COVID-19 is being handled in the Upper Peninsula. “We are seeing some pretty rapid increases, some pretty alarming case rates.”Some hospitals and testing centers in the Upper Peninsula are seeing test positivity rates of 30% multiple days in a row, Atchison said. UP Health System-Marquette is the safety net hospital for the Upper Peninsula, so what happens when the region hits capacity is a major concern for Atchison. ICU capacity outside of Marquette is fairly limited, so that’s the number that I’m paying most attention to.”He said 61% of patients in ICU beds in the Upper Peninsula are COVID-19 patients.

Michigan’s top health officials are concerned about hospitals becoming overwhelmed again as the COVID-19 numbers across the state reach new levels. Early in the-19 pandemic, one of the major problems for Michigan was hospital capacity, as COVID-19 patients filled beds and the state was forced to set up alternate sites. “That’s one of the general concerns,” said Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. Decker said another concern is staff members who have been fighting COVID-19 for the better part of eight months. LOCAL: Macomb County a ‘pocket’ of Michigan that struggles with mask wearing, Henry Ford Health CEO says“Our team -- they’ve been dealing with this for a very long time, so they are tired,” Decker said.

The president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System wants Michiganders to follow the simple safety measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, but if they can’t, he said other steps might be necessary. “If doing the right thing and using ration and science isn’t sufficient, then there may be other steps that end up being necessary,” said Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. LOCAL: Macomb County a ‘pocket’ of Michigan that struggles with mask wearing, Henry Ford Health CEO saysThey said Michiganders should just follow four simple rules: Wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands frequently and avoid large gatherings. Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, during a COVID-19 discussion on Nov. 12, 2020. MORE: Hospital association CEO: Michiganders who don’t believe in COVID-19 protocols aren’t going to follow themLassiter said a broad-based shutdown of the state likely would not be effective.

As COVID-19 trends worsen dramatically across Michigan, are stricter government regulations inevitable? The presidents and CEOS of Henry Ford Health System, Beaumont Health, Spectrum Health, Munson Healthcare and UP Health System-Marquette joined the discussion to highlight the alarming trajectory of COVID-19 numbers statewide. John Fox, president and CEO of Beaumont Health, said the tools to slow the spread of COVID-19 are already in place. LOCAL: Macomb County a ‘pocket’ of Michigan that struggles with mask wearing, Henry Ford Health CEO says“The tools to control it are there. MORE: Hospital association CEO: Michiganders who don’t believe in COVID-19 protocols aren’t going to follow them“They’ve been much more targeted, where government did intervene,” Anderson said.

Leaders from four major hospital systems in Michigan came together Thursday to share the alarming trends they’re seeing as COVID-19 cases increase drastically statewide. “Our state is now in a phase of exponential increases in both COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations,” said Gerry Anderson, executive chairman at DTE Energy and a member of Gov. “Over the last five weeks, cases in Michigan are up more than five-fold,” Anderson said. Leaders of Henry Ford Health System, Beaumont Health, Spectrum Health and Munson Health shared some of the COVID-19 trends they’re seeing in their hospitals. Henry Ford Health SystemThe story is the same in Henry Ford hospitals, according to Wright Lassiter, the president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System.

Michigan hospitals are rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients once again, and experts are warning residents that if this trend continues, it will be disastrous for the state’s health care system. The MHA represents all the hospitals and health systems throughout Michigan. “Our hospitals are rapidly filling with COVID-19 patients at a very alarming rate,” Peters said. He and other state health care leaders are concerned about what’s ahead for hospitals if the trends don’t reverse. The health care system can capsize if you don’t keep it under control.”