Oregon Public Broadcasting

The medical community in southern Oregon wasn't  surprised by President Obama's emergency declaration.

Ethan Lindsey reports that when it comes to the swine flu, rural Oregon faces a different challenge from urban areas.

Jacqueline Cordero lives in Medford.

But right now, the thirty-year-old is in the intensive care unit of Legacy Emanuel Hospital, in Portland.

Johnny Cordero is Jacqueline’s father.

He’s spent days in the hospital’s waiting room in Portland, and while he wasn’t unhappy with the care she got in Medford.

Johnny Cordero: “What they offer here is so much more, and I honestly believe that we would have lost her already if she hadn’t come to Portland.”

Jacqueline Cordero first checked into the Rogue Valley Medical Center last week.

She was later transported, by ambulance, to Portland.

The Medford hospital just doesn’t have all the resources to help Johnny Cordero's diabetic daughter fight off the swine flu.

Johnny Cordero: “Whereas, there, there was a nurse assigned and a couple folks helping and coming in-and-out. Here, there is always someone with her, and as many as 6-12 people are coming in-and-out. Each one doing something different or monitoring something else. And so it gives you a sense of how very important Jacqueline is to the staff.”

Jim Shames: “You know, you have a finite number of intensive care unit beds, you have a finite number of equipment. And staff.”

Jim Shames is the health officer for Jackson and Josephine counties.

Jim Shames: “We had more people hospitalized in Jackson County than they’ve had in Multnomah County, so far this year.”

Shames says the real difference between rural Oregon and Portland right now is timing.

Southern Oregon is in the midst of the swine flu pandemic. And Portland hasn’t faced the worst of it – yet.

Josephine County declared a swine flu emergency last week, and Jackson County plans on the same action Wednesday.

Jim Shames: “And if you reach the point where that’s all saturated, and you have another patient come in, you might go looking around, saying, ‘oh look, there’s a hospital 80 miles away that can provide that care.’”

Shames says in the Cordero case, it was so scary she needed the highest of high-tech equipment, only available in Portland.

But for 99-percent of cases, regional medical centers in places like Bend or Medford, have the necessary equipment and expertise.

The challenge in southern Oregon right now is just the flood of patients asking for help.

Shames says when the flu reaches its peak in Portland, the roles may be reversed, and hospitals there may be the ones to come calling rural hospitals, looking for open beds.