9 JPS Hospital employees test positive for coronavirus, according to new public info line
John Peter Smith Hospital has set up a phone recording with daily updates about the people they are treating for COVID-19.
People can access the information by calling 817-702-9500.
The message will be updated at 10 a.m. each day.
“JPS is reporting this information already to various agencies and we’re required to share it in public inquiries,” Hospital CEO Robert Earley said. “I want to make sure it’s also available to you, whenever you need it. There’s comfort in knowing the facts, and knowing what our teams are dealing with each day.”
This change comes after the Fort Worth Star-Telegram examined the lack of transparency between hospitals and the public, and between the hospitals and public officials tasked with making decisions that will keep residents safe.
On Monday, the recording gave the following information:
▪ JPS is treating 10 patients for COVID-19.
▪ 36 patients are under investigation.
▪ One patient has died at the hospital (there are 13 deaths in the county).
▪ Nine employees have tested positive.
▪ 44 patients tested at the hospital received positive results (there are 452 cases in the county as of Monday afternoon).
▪ 284 people who tested at the hospital received negative results.
▪ 85 tests are pending.
“The recording may not answer every question you have, but I hope you see it as a big step to keep us all informed,” Earley said. “I want to remind everyone that behind the numbers we share are real people… patients and their families with lives and fears and hopes… and we should not lose sight of that as those numbers rise and fall.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 1:48 PM with the headline "9 JPS Hospital employees test positive for coronavirus, according to new public info line."
