It may be a challenging few weeks for New Hampshire hospitals as they near full capacity amid a spike in respiratory illnesses, according to the president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association.Hospital officials across the state said they are very busy during what is usually one of the busiest times of the year.”Hospitals are essentially at 100% capacity, and that’s a result of many things,” Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, said. “We just know it’s going to be a challenging next few weeks.”Ahnen said hospitals are full for multiple reasons, including a spike in respiratory illnesses, a workforce shortage and an inability to discharge patients to other health care facilities because there’s either not enough room or staff.”It’s resulting in longer wait times for patients in the emergency department,” Ahnen said.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<“The good news is this morning, we did see an overall reduction, and we’re only down to five patients holding in our emergency room, which is a very good thing,” Darin Roark, president and COO of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, said.Wentworth-Douglass activated a policy on Jan. 2 in which its employees have to wear masks in clinical settings because the level of respiratory illnesses was too high. Roark said it’s all hands on deck to make sure people get care as quickly as possible.”We have not had to delay any procedures or had any reductions in our operating room capabilities,” he said.At Elliot Hospital, chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Desrosiers said it’s not uncommon to have such a crunch in the winter.”We certainly have to deploy some more resources and plan accordingly, but this is something I think we’re used to this time of year,” he said.Desrosiers said the hospital is at around 95% capacity, and its urgent cares have seen a 20% to 30% rise in visits. But he said the facilities are prepared.”The number of beds we have are fully staffed,” he said. “We don’t have any beds closed because we can’t staff them, so we’re full-fledged, ready to go.”Elliot also has a virtual emergency room where patients can consult with medical professionals if their illness is not an emergency.
It may be a challenging few weeks for New Hampshire hospitals as they near full capacity amid a spike in respiratory illnesses, according to the president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association.
Hospital officials across the state said they are very busy during what is usually one of the busiest times of the year.
“Hospitals are essentially at 100% capacity, and that’s a result of many things,” Steve Ahnen, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, said. “We just know it’s going to be a challenging next few weeks.”
Ahnen said hospitals are full for multiple reasons, including a spike in respiratory illnesses, a workforce shortage and an inability to discharge patients to other health care facilities because there’s either not enough room or staff.
“It’s resulting in longer wait times for patients in the emergency department,” Ahnen said.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
“The good news is this morning, we did see an overall reduction, and we’re only down to five patients holding in our emergency room, which is a very good thing,” Darin Roark, president and COO of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, said.
Wentworth-Douglass activated a policy on Jan. 2 in which its employees have to wear masks in clinical settings because the level of respiratory illnesses was too high. Roark said it’s all hands on deck to make sure people get care as quickly as possible.
“We have not had to delay any procedures or had any reductions in our operating room capabilities,” he said.
At Elliot Hospital, chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Desrosiers said it’s not uncommon to have such a crunch in the winter.
“We certainly have to deploy some more resources and plan accordingly, but this is something I think we’re used to this time of year,” he said.
Desrosiers said the hospital is at around 95% capacity, and its urgent cares have seen a 20% to 30% rise in visits. But he said the facilities are prepared.
“The number of beds we have are fully staffed,” he said. “We don’t have any beds closed because we can’t staff them, so we’re full-fledged, ready to go.”
Elliot also has a virtual emergency room where patients can consult with medical professionals if their illness is not an emergency.
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