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December 2, 2021
An open letter to all of our patients and community members:
Nearly every hospital in our region has reached capacity or is exceeding capacity, which means we consistently have more patients than beds. Cases of COVID-19 have been increasing during the last several weeks. Most of these patients have not been vaccinated. Our already busy emergency departments are now overwhelmed.
How are you affected?
- You may have a much longer than usual wait for emergency care.
- You may have a prolonged stay in the emergency department waiting for a hospital bed.
- Certain surgeries or procedures may be postponed.
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Visitor restrictions and mask mandates will remain in effect.
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Due to the surge of COVID patient admissions, visitation policies will be amended to protect patients, visitors, and staff.
You may have thought things would get back to normal. They haven’t. You may have thought the worst was over. It isn’t. We implore the community, now is the time to stop the dangerous path we are on.
We sometimes need to transfer our most critical patients to a larger hospital. Please understand that those hospitals are full or nearing capacity and most are not accepting patients. Additionally, we are challenged to discharge patients to skilled nursing homes because of a quarantine period for COVID positive patients and the staffing shortages that are impacting the entire healthcare industry.
After nearly two years of caring for patients during the pandemic, our healthcare workers are stressed and exhausted. Many are sad and frustrated by so much preventable loss.
When vaccinated patients contract COVID, they typically are not as sick and do not require hospitalization, or they have a much shorter stay.
Hospitals here and across the country are starting to see an increase in respiratory illness and flu. Health experts are keeping a close eye on the new Omicron variant and emphasizing how it is more important than ever that we remain vigilant and follow these public health recommendations:
- Get vaccinated. Get boosted.
- Choose the right level of care - Seek emergency care for life-threatening conditions or severe injuries only.
- Mask when indoors, or whenever you are unable to socially distance.
- Wash your hands frequently.
COVID has cast a shadow on our lives, but how long it lasts is up to us. We can all get through this, but we need your help. We implore members of our communities to take every possible measure and precaution to keep you, your family and your friends safe and healthy.
If you are seriously injured in an accident, suffer a heart attack or stroke, or experience another medical emergency, please get to an emergency room ASAP. We will do everything we can to ensure you are cared for properly and in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
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