RICHMOND – The pandemic patient load is straining Ray County Memorial Hospital staff, Administrator Earl Sheehy said. “We’re having trouble transferring patients sometimes because of (too few) available beds,” he said. The Mission Control pilot program, created by Cheyenne Mountain Software and LifeSave Transport, is designed to help find beds for, and a way to transport, COVID-19 patients. “We had one (transfer) the other day that they spent almost 24 hours on and the closest bed they could find was in St. Louis,” Sheehy said. Based on a Ray County Health Department report, there are 103 active COVID-19 cases in Ray County, with 41 being in Richmond’s ZIP Code. “Also, our COVID wing is the busiest we’ve ever seen since we opened it in June of 2020,” Sheehy said. The wing consists of five beds, with three occupied, Sheehy said. The virus keeps staff busy, but planned medical procedures continue, he said. “We can still do everything,” Sheehy said. With COVID’s resurgence,…