Current Events > My hospital is completely overrun

(+) Yeah! (+)

Granted, we are a community hospital with only 30 beds but the ED has been at capacity for an entire week and literally anytime we discharge a patient, within seconds that bed is filled. Nearly all cases are covid-19, and what astonishes me the most is how many patients with major medical conditions like acute coronary syndrome / strokes / etc literally have nowhere to go. There are going to be so many deaths that aren't covid-19 that could have been prevented if there were fewer cases.

Oklahoma, btw.

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Oh, I thought it was overrun by zombies.

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Yea I watched the news tonight, oh man :(

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metallica846 posted...

That sucks. Any plan for extra space outside?

I'm the only hospitalist, so I literally can't see more than 30 per day. Even 30 is literally double what I normally should see. It's crazy, I've never seen anything like this.

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Time to start prioritizing. Lowest on the list: Covid patients who refused to get the vaccine.

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It must be exhausting being a doctor or nurse in these times.

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Goatsensation posted...

It must be exhausting being a doctor or nurse in these times.

It's pretty bad, but really the biggest issue is the fact that our governor refuses to declare a state of emergency, so we can't get the money for extra nursing or locums physicians to help out. I don't normally manage the logistics of stuff like that, obviously, but it sure would be nice to have some help.

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Cant imagine what a hell you must be going through this past 18 months. Sorry for that.

I know shit is getting really bad here in DFW too. Ive read the entire region just ran out of PICU beds, and soon well run out of ICU space altogether.

And yet no matter how dire the reports are, I simply cannot convince my 60 y/o parents to get vaccinated. The sheer irrationality of it just makes my head explode. Keeps me up at night every night thinking about possibly having to bury one or both of them in the near future because I just couldnt find the right words.

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Mearcstapa posted...

Cant imagine what a hell you must be going through this past 18 months. Sorry for that.

I know shit is getting really bad here in DFW too. Ive read the entire region just ran out of PICU beds, and soon well run out of ICU space altogether.

And yet no matter how dire the reports are, I simply cannot convince my 60 y/o parents to get vaccinated. The sheer irrationality of it just makes my head explode. Keeps me up at night every night thinking about possibly having to bury one or both of them in the near future because I just couldnt find the right words.

I legitimately wish there were legal repercussions for the kinds of misinformation being spread, especially on news networks that should know better.

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Yeah, but have you considered how fucking free anti-vaxxers are? What have open hospital beds ever done for America?

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Things are filling up by me.

They are reporting that 88% of patients are unvaccinated.

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The news said there is 2 beds left at our hospital

I saw an interview with some doctor from a hospital here in Houston that had just finished his 500th straight day in a row working.

He kind of looked like one of those WW1 soldiers whod been gassed, mortared, and gotten trenchfoot.

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DarkRoast posted...

what astonishes me the most is how many patients with major medical conditions like acute coronary syndrome / strokes / etc literally have nowhere to go

they cant be seen. someone with melanoma in his neck cant get an appointment to remove it (all he needed was a recovery bed. there's none). southern oregon hospitals are getting slammed too. there's no appointments until October or February (not a good time to get sick).
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Did you get your wife to help spread the message to get vaccinated?

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DarkRoast posted...

I'm the only hospitalist, so I literally can't see more than 30 per day. Even 30 is literally double what I normally should see. It's crazy, I've never seen anything like this.

For some reason I though were an ED specialist

this whole situation is just sad all around, folks are dying because of straight ignorance at this point few other reasons.

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Ruvan22 posted...

For some reason I though were an ED specialist

No, I'm a hospitalist, internal medicine. I admit the patients and manage them on the floor.

It looks like it's a lot worse for the ER physicians, because at least once all my beds are filled I'm pretty much maxed out. They have to triage even if the ER is filled, from what I understand.

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Goatsensation posted...

It must be exhausting being a doctor or nurse in these times.

or a mail carrier >_>

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DarkRoast posted...

No, I'm a hospitalist, internal medicine. I admit the patients and manage them on the floor.

It looks like it's a lot worse for the ER physicians, because at least once all my beds are filled I'm pretty much maxed out. They have to triage even if the ER is filled, from what I understand.

Ahhh think I got you mixed up with my sister- she's ER in a ..large suburban hospital outside Atlanta. Even a month ago she was posting about the scarcity of beds and how none of her COVID positive admits were vaccinated.

Hang in there tc

youre doing gods work

What_ posted...

Hang in there tc

youre doing gods work

Thanks, as a Christian I have to keep reminding myself that the right thing to do is to not judge other people. Pretty hard to do lately.


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DarkRoast posted...

Thanks, as a Christian I have to keep reminding myself that the right thing to do is to not judge other people. Pretty hard to do lately.

You're doing your best, I'm sure you're spreading the word to get vaccinated to everybody you talk to and your wife is helping you spread the message as well, right?

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KamenRiderBlade posted...

You're doing your best, I'm sure you're spreading the word to get vaccinated to everybody you talk to and your wife is helping you spread the message as well, right?

Of course. My background in microbiology and public health makes me pretty strongly pro-vax.


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DarkRoast posted...

Of course. My background in microbiology and public health makes me pretty strongly pro-vax.

And you said in the other thread that the local African-American community has been averse to getting vaccinated, right?

I'm sure your wife is helping to solve that issue by spreading the word to get vaccinated to them.

A recommendation from you might not carry as much weight as if it came from her mouth.

Just saying.

We need to use all available resources to get everybody vaccinated, if that means getting family to help out, so be it.

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Pisses me off because my mom needs legit medical service and these unvaxxed fucks..

I should probably stop there

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Smackems posted...

Pisses me off because my mom needs legit medical service and these unvaxxed fucks..

I should probably stop there

What's so bad is that these people don't even realize what they've done to people who did vaccinate but now can't get important elective care.

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It must be hell living in a red state.

Smackems posted...

Pisses me off because my mom needs legit medical service and these unvaxxed fucks..

I should probably stop there

There should be separate medical facilities to deal with this COVID stuff. If you chose to not get the vaccine, then you shouldnt be screwing someone out of a bed in the hospitals. Make a giant tent somewhere and send them there. Not saying they shouldnt get medical care, but those of us who followed the rules and were smart about it shouldnt have to suffer because someone chose to not get the shot.

I assume insurance companies are going to start dropping people who dont get vaccinated?

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Humble_Novice posted...

It must be hell living in a red state.

Honestly, the bigger issue with "red state" vs "blue state" is the tendency for red state governors to literally actively oppose public health measures because they don't want to anger their (frankly, grossly misinformed) constituency.


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There is a billboard close to me that shows the current wait time at the local ER. For as long as I can remember it averaged 3-8 minutes. As of the last 1-2 weeks its been consistently 30-40 min.

Just tonight I drive past and it was at 96 minutes. Doesnt seem to be a comforting sign, really.

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American hospital system has run at exactly "peak" since the 90s, when we started closing all the community hospitals.

CE_gonna_CE posted...

There is a billboard close to me that shows the current wait time at the local ER. For as long as I can remember it averaged 3-8 minutes. As of the last 1-2 weeks its been consistently 30-40 min.

Just tonight I drive past and it was at 96 minutes. Doesnt seem to be a comforting sign, really.

if you arrive in an ambulance you get seen immediately

sabrestorm posted...

if you arrive in an ambulance you get seen immediately

before the pandemic yes.
after the pandemic yes to some degree (if there's room to treat the patient) otherwise they're stuck in the ambulance until they can make room.
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sabrestorm posted...

if you arrive in an ambulance you get seen immediately

You might not know but that's quite untrue. source: my 1-3 hour triage times in houston

it's all based on acuity. Some people go straight to the waiting room with minor issues while others we have to post up with against a wall to monitor while waiting for a room. Only life-threatening injuries and the like get priority

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man, when can we come out of this hole since the last 1 and a half years.

shit's depressing

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Hi. Respiratory Therapist here. Fuck anyone that refuses to get vaccinated.

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DaddyPipeLayer posted...

Hi. Respiratory Therapist here. Fuck anyone that refuses to get vaccinated.

I matched with a respiratory therapist on a dating site, what exactly do yall do?

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