MAHONING VALLEY Patients with flulike symptoms swamp hospitals

If you go to the ER, expect to wait a long time for treatment.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Area hospital emergency rooms have been inundated with patients with flulike symptoms and other ailments, forcing them to divert some ambulances to other hospitals.
Dr. Laura Dollison, medical director of Forum Health Northside Medical Center and Tod Children's Hospital emergency departments, said, however, "The emergency departments of both Forum Health and Humility of Mary Health Partners are more than capable of treating the patients who come in with symptoms of the flu."
Because the flu is highly contagious, all hospitals are busy with patients, and their staffs are getting sick as well, Dr. Dollison said.
She advised residents to go to their doctors or to the hospital where they normally go for treatment. She also said patients should expect longer-than-normal waits for treatment.
Ambulances diverted
John Gonda, community relations at Forum Health's Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, said the hospital emergency department briefly diverted ambulance traffic to other facilities a couple of times last week.
He said, however, all patients who bring themselves to the emergency department have been, and will be, cared for.
Gonda said the number of patients at all Forum Health emergency department and immediate care facilities is higher than usual.
For instance, on Dec. 26 the TMH emergency department saw 147 patients, compared with the average of 105 per day, Gonda said.
But as of Monday afternoon, Jameson Hospital in New Castle, Pa., Sharon Regional Hospital in Sharon, Pa., and Salem Community Hospital all reported their emergency departments were able to handle the flow of patients and did not have to divert them to other facilities.
Waiting for beds
During this past weekend, St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph health centers experienced a large volume of admitted patients waiting in the emergency department for a bed, a hospital written statement said.
Because of this, it was necessary to go on diversion, which is a request for ambulances to divert patients to other hospitals for a specified period of time.
The patients who came into the HMHP emergency departments and had to wait for a bed came in with serious conditions, such as heart attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The hospitals are full, which is why they are waiting for a bed, the statement said.
Although flulike symptoms may have contributed to some of the people coming to emergency, it cannot be said for a fact that it was the flu that caused this volume. It is not unusual for the emergency departments to see a large volume of patients at this time of year, hospital officials said.
St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph Health began Monday off diversion. It was necessary for St. Elizabeth to go back on diversion later in the day, however. The situation was evaluated throughout the day, and patients were assigned to beds as the day progressed.
"Diversion is not something we like to do, and we only do it when it is absolutely necessary," said Patty Rush, spokeswoman for HMHP, which operates both hospitals.
Message for visitors
Hospital officials asked the public to be prudent about visiting patients in the hospital at this time.
If they are not feeling well, they should stay home so as not to transmit any type of illness to someone who is already in a debilitated state, hospital officials said.