The president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association says it could be a difficult few weeks with New Hampshire hospitals nearing capacity due to a surge in respiratory illnesses. Hospital officials across the state said they would normally be extremely busy this time of year. “Hospitals are basically at 100% capacity, and that's the result of a lot of things coming together,” said Steve Arnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association. Ahnen said hospitals are full for multiple reasons, including a surge in respiratory illnesses, a workforce shortage and an inability to discharge patients to other medical facilities due to understaffing. “As a result, patient wait times in the emergency department are increasing,” Ahnen said. >> Download the free WMUR app to stay informed on the go: Apple | Google Play << “The good news this morning is that we are seeing an overall decline in patients being admitted to emergency rooms. is down to just five people, which is a very good thing,” said Darin Rourke, president and COO of Wentworth. Wentworth Douglas Hospital instituted a policy on January 2 requiring employees to wear masks in medical settings due to high levels of respiratory illness. Roark said he was committed to getting people treated as soon as possible. "We didn't have to delay any procedures or reduce operating room capacity." Kevin Desrosiers said it's not unusual to have a crisis like this in the winter, adding: "Certainly we need to commit more resources and plan accordingly, but this... I think we're used to it over time," he said. Desrosiers said. Hospital capacity is about 95% and emergency care visits are up from 20% to 30%. But he said the facilities are in place and that "the number of beds we have are adequately staffed." "We're not closing beds because we can't staff them, so we're fully prepared." Elliott also has virtual emergency services where patients can consult with medical professionals if they're not sick. There is also a treatment room. emergency.
The president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association says it could be a difficult few weeks as New Hampshire hospitals are nearly full due to a surge in respiratory illnesses.
Hospital officials across the state said hospitals are extremely busy during what is typically the busiest time of the year.
“Hospital occupancy is basically 100%, and that's the result of a lot of things coming together,” said Steve Arnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association. “All we know is that the next few weeks are going to be difficult.”
Ahnen said hospitals are full for multiple reasons, including a surge in respiratory illnesses, a workforce shortage, and an inability to discharge patients to other medical facilities because there aren't enough rooms or staff. .
“The result is longer wait times for patients in the emergency room,” Arnen said.
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“The good news is this morning we are seeing an overall decline, with only five patients waiting in the emergency room,” said Darin Rourke, president and chief operating officer of Wentworth Douglas Hospital. “This is a very good thing.” He said.
Wentworth Douglas instituted a policy on January 2 requiring employees to wear masks in medical settings due to high levels of respiratory illness. Rourke said they are working hard to get people treated as soon as possible.
“There was no need to delay any procedures or reduce operating room capacity,” he said.
Dr. Kevin Desrosiers, chief medical officer at Elliott Hospital, said it's not unusual to have a crisis like this in the winter.
“Certainly we need to commit more resources and plan accordingly, but I think this is something we're used to at this time of year,” he said.
DeRosia said hospitals are at about 95% capacity and the number of emergency medical visits is up 20% to 30%. But the facilities are in place, he said.
“The number of beds we have are fully staffed,” he said. “We don't have any beds that are closed because we can't staff them. We're fully prepared.”
Elliott also has a virtual emergency room where patients can consult medical professionals if their illness is non-emergency.
