DAYTON — A rise in respiratory syncytial virus infections and a decline in staffing are creating long wait times at hospitals across the state.
Latest data from the state shows that hospitals in the Miami Valley are currently 86 percent full.
“What we are seeing is some longer wait times, particularly in emergency rooms right now,” John Palmer, director of public affairs for Ohio Hospital Association said.
Palmer said this is because hospitals in Ohio don’t have the manpower to keep up with all its sick patients.
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“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic workforce needs were occurring for hospitals due to retirement and demand for more caregivers created by increased coverage to services through the Affordable Care Act,” he said.
Since December 2020 the Ohio Hospital Association said a little more than 4,000 hospital beds are not in use, because of shortages.
Leading up to the pandemic, there’s a lot of shortages we were facing mainly due to early retirement,” he explained.
Another main factor that contributes to shortages is job burnout.
Dr. Marc Belcastro, system chief medical officer for Premier Health said while wait times are longer the health network’s average door-to-door time in October at their emergency departments was 14 minutes and 16 minutes at Miami Valley Hospital.
“Our emergency rooms do tend to become busier during colder seasons, and we have prepared accordingly,” Belcastro said.
In return, expect longer hospital wait times, which is concerning to some families.
“It’s scary when you worry about getting the care that you need when you need it and having others being able to get the care that they need as well.” Jaclynn Krella of Springboro said.
Other parents do whatever they think is best in trying to keep their kids healthy.
“Proper nutrition is the most important thing really ... the other thing is activity, staying outside, vitamin D. Those are the biggies that keep us out of the doctor,” Mike Hutter of Waynesville said.
Palmer said if a surge in hospital capacity is happening in your region, expect to see adjustments made to make sure you’re getting routed to a facility that can take you.
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