'It's just exhausting': rural Louisiana hospital workers tell of Covid burnout

Staff at St James parish hospital have struggled to handle the surge of Covid patients - and despite the arrival of vaccines, problems persist

The heroes work here" sign in front of St James parish hospital is long gone, along with open intensive care unit beds in the state of Louisiana.

Staffers at the rural hospital spent hours each day in January calling larger hospitals in search of the elusive beds for Covid-19 patients. They leveraged personal connections and begged nurses elsewhere to take patients they know are beyond their hospital's care level.