HJAR Nov/Dec 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2021 13 How did the SARS-Cov-2 Delta variant affect children differently than previous common variants? Because the Delta variant is so con- tagious, we quickly saw more children infected, which raised the number of over- all severe cases. For months, Arkansas Chil- dren’s had seen only a handful of patients sick with COVID-19 who needed to be hospitalized for their symptoms. Very few needed intensive care. Most were hospital- ized for another reason, like an appendici- tis or injury. Suddenly that changed, and it happened about the same time we saw an unexpected climb in cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another respiratory virus that is particularly harsh for young children. While we were still seeing fewer COVID-19 cases than our colleagues at the state’s adult hospitals, the surge definitely impacted our team. What changes did Arkansas Children’s Hospital experience in case numbers, severity of cases and death rates? We began to note that the Delta variant in many ways looked like an entirely dif- ferent disease. When we faced our peak with the Delta variant, Arkansas Children’s had as many as 31 patients admitted with COVID-19 across our two hospitals. Close to 20 of those patients were in intensive care. The children who did get sick some- times became very ill rapidly and with little warning. The disease ravaged their lungs, and many required mechanical ventilation to survive. The Arkansas Department of Health has reported three pediatric deaths from COVID-19. How did the Delta variant affect the hospital’s response to COVID-19? We suddenly found ourselves caring for some of the sickest children many of our specialists had ever seen. Our staffing was stretched, though, we hovered at capacity. Throughout the crisis, we had beds and ICU availability, but staffing resources became challenging. Our staffing was as stretched as our nursing leaders had ever experienced. In addition to serving as chief clinical and academic officer, Rick Barr, MD, MBA, also holds the Jonathan R. Bates, MD Endowed Chair for Improving Child Health, elevating physician leadership and bridging operational, clinical and academic pursuits across the organization. He previously served as chair of the department of pediatrics and associate dean for child health in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine, as well as pediatrician-in-chief for Arkansas Children’s and interim president of the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute. Rick Barr, MD, MBA Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical and Academic Officer Arkansas Children’s