Michigan’s COVID-19 totals are surging again—this time in West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. In Kent County, hospitalizations have increased and test positivity rates have reached nearly 12% at their high point. In more rural parts of the state, cases are rising in the areas least equipped to deal with a second surge—particularly when it comes to staff capacity. On today’s episode, we’ll hear about how two hospitals—one in West Michigan and another in the U.P.—are dealing with the spike. Mark Van Dyke is manager of business assurance for Spectrum Health. His job is to coordinate strategies for emergency operations. Robin Erb is a reporter for Bridge Michigan. She recently published a profile of one U.P. hospital that’s grappling with a surge in COVID patients. Looking for the full length version of today’s Stateside? You can find it here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.