Arizona Edition
May 29,2020
Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center
The end of May saw the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Yuma County pass the 1,000 mark.
On this week's Arizona Edition, KAWC's Lou Gum speaks with Yuma Regional Medical Center CEO, Dr. Robert Trenschel, about how an increase in COVID-19 cases impacts YRMC.
Trenschel confirms that YRMC has transferred out about a dozen patients to other state facilities, but says that is not a sign YRMC is short of space or capacity. Trenschel tells KAWC the increase in coronavirus cases was expected. He says with beds available and a plan in place to ramp up staffing when necessary YRMC is not over-burdened or even “overly-stressed.”
Trenschel also discusses whether it is time for the public to transition to an understanding that exposure to COVID-19 is inevitable and what the data suggests that could mean for the majority of people who get the virus.
This interview was recorded on Thursday, May28th just hours before Yuma County Health officials announced a record 98 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their daily 3:00 PM update, bringing the county total to 936. By the Saturday update, the number of confirmed cases had reached 1078.
For the most recent numbers in Yuma County, visit