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Illinois hospital stepping up preps for impending flu season

At one-point last year, roughly 75 percent of the patients were being treated for the flu.
Credit: Henson, Rhyan

JERSEYVILLE, Ill - One small hospital is already gearing up for flu season after already treating two people who tested positive for the virus this month.

Small town hospitals are staffed, supplied and budgeted for the needs of that community. Hospitals like Jerseyville Community Hospital really feel the pinch when they are treating many more patients than normal.

To help keep the community healthier during flu season, the medical staff urges everyone to get a flu shot.

Neighbor Bonna Downey said she doesn't need the warning, she knows the importance of staying healthy during the winter.

“I get the flu shot so I won’t get other symptoms like the pneumonia,” Downey said.

“I am a senior citizen now, that’s pretty important. I even get the flu shot for my dog. He gets a dog flu shot.”

At one-point last year, roughly 75 percent of the patients were being treated for the flu. One weekend, the nurses had to drive an hour to St. Louis to pick up additional medicine when the hospital supply ran out.

This year, the staff has stocked up on extra medicine and even gotten flu shots themselves. Chief Nurse Julie Smith said her crew will be prepared for this year’s flu season and hopes patients are as well.

““People need to pay attention to what that is, what is happening there,” Smith said. “The fact that we’ve already had two already flu patients, that’s a big deal.”

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