On Friday, the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington issued a warning to Vermont citizens.
instead of, advised people There are relatively minor problems that seek treatment at a clinic or urgent care center rather than visiting an overcrowded hospital emergency room.
The medical center’s president, Steven Leffler, said the overcrowding was caused by a “perfect storm” of several medical trends condensed into one day. On Friday, he had more than 100 patients seeking treatment, but the facility had only 53 staffed beds.
“I’m back to my normal busy schedule now and things are going well, but Friday was particularly stressful and difficult,” he said Tuesday.
The challenge is not over. Leffler and other hospital officials across the state added to the strain hospitals have experienced since the Covid-19 pandemic began, adding to the prolonged overcrowding of emergency departments and inpatients in general in recent months. He said he was facing a trend. Early 2020.
State statistics back it up. The total number of open intensive care and medical/surgical beds statewide has declined over the past week, dropping to 45 beds in the week of Oct. 10, according to Department of Social Services data. Of summer.
Government agency data also point to one reason for the pressure. There is an increasing number of hospital patients awaiting discharge to subacute beds such as long-term care centers and rehabilitation centers. incoming patient.
According to agency data, there are approximately 32 patients each week seeking mental health treatment who cannot be admitted to a psychiatric inpatient facility.
Between 20% and 35% of inpatient beds statewide are occupied by patients requiring a lower level of care, according to the government of the Vermont Hospitals and Health Systems Association, a hospital trade group. said Devon Green, Vice President of Relations.
“They no longer need to be hospitalized, but they can’t go home and we’re having a hard time placing those patients,” she said.
Like hospitals, nursing homes are struggling to hire and retain nursing staff during the pandemic. For example, last week, UVM Home Health and Hospice End 24/7 medical care For the residents due to personnel issues.
Ryan Sexton, an emergency physician at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, said he recently observed that patients seeking urgent care had a higher “acuity” of treatment. Care during a pandemic.
Sexton said the area’s system is so congested that there are days when smaller emergency departments in neighborhoods are unable to accept critically ill patients, such as those with traumatic injuries or those who have had heart attacks.
Instead, these patients are sent to the New Hampshire coast, forcing ambulance crews to travel for hours, inconveniencing patients and their families.
“When you have to take a local ambulance and transport a patient three hours away instead of an hour, it has a huge impact on your EMS response and your ability to provide 911 response to your community.” said Sexton.
Patients who visit St. Johnsbury’s emergency department have to wait longer to be admitted as patients already in the ER are waiting for hospital beds.
Leffler said UVM Medical Center, a “tertiary care” hospital that accepts more complex medical cases, is accepting patients from outside its normal area as many other tertiary care hospitals are overwhelmed. I was.
“We are doing our best to accommodate everyone as much as possible,” he said. “But when the ER is completely full, it becomes even more difficult. It may delay the acceptance of those who
He said people with serious medical problems should still go to the emergency department, but those with minor medical problems should call their doctor or local emergency medical center. should start with. Checklist To help people decide where to start.
The Vermont Department of Health also reports: Increase in Covid hospitalizations in the past few weeks. Sexton said there was a further rise in all respiratory illnesses as people in Vermont removed their masks and returned to normal activities.
Leffler said the hospital has noticed an increase in Covid cases, but doesn’t believe it’s causing the current problem. About half of Covid patients in medical centers have visited hospitals for a variety of reasons and have tested positive while in hospital.
UVM Medical Center is working with other facilities to improve access to mental health and the availability of long-term care.
Green said the hospital association hopes legislators will work on alternative treatments to mental health facilities and support mobile mental health crisis teams. He also opposed the federal government’s proposal, which Mr. Green said would “make matters worse.”
Legislators are aware of the problem, she said. “It’s just a huge, intractable problem in many areas of the healthcare system.”
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