DFW Hospital Council President/CEO Stephen Love posted a blog this week on the American Communities Project website titled “Americans’ Fear of Seeking Medical Care During Covid-19.” With the spread of COVID-19 across the U.S., Love’s blog details the frightening drop in 9-1-1 calls due to residents’ fear of contracting the virus.

“Unexpectedly, many people suddenly feared seeking medical treatment because they were afraid of contracting COVID-19 in hospitals or clinics,” said Love. “A recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll showed that approximately half of the public stated they had skipped or postponed medical care due to COVID-19. The poll also asked people who skipped or postponed surgery if their medical conditions had become increasingly worse, with 11% responding ‘yes.’”

According to Love’s post, MedStar Mobile Healthcare reported cardiac arrest cases in Fort Worth were up 55% in May 2020 compared to the same time last year. Of those cardiac arrest patients, numbers for those pronounced dead on scene had increased by 65%.

You can read the full blog here.

The American Communities Project is a combined social science and journalism effort based at The George Washington University’s School of Media & Public Affairs, that uses a vast array of data including election results and economic numbers to break communities into different types of analysis. Results provide a better way of understanding the different types of American communities to develop improved ways of recognizing what works in both rural and urban regions.