Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-new...covid-patients-says-medical-transport-service
Massachusetts' ICU beds are full — and not just with COVID patients, says medical transport service
By Aaron Schachter and Hannah Reale
November 15, 2021
Just when experts are warning about a potential COVID and flu surge going into the winter holidays, Massachusetts’ main airborne medical transport service is warning about a dearth of ICU beds.
Hospital services are hamstrung by COVID-19 and other factors stemming from the pandemic, such as nursing shortages and a greater amount of sicker patients who might have delayed doctors’ appointments.
“In our 36 years, we’ve never seen this high volume of critically ill patients,” said Boston MedFlight CEO Maura Hughes.
Hughes said Boston MedFlight, which provides air and ground transportation for Massachusetts’ critically ill patients, has been inundated — as are local hospitals, even the biggest ones.
“We are taking patients anywhere that there’s an ICU bed. I’d say in the last week, we’ve probably taken a half dozen patients out of state. We’ve taken them to Connecticut, we’ve taken them to New Hampshire.”
But hospitals in other states are also seeking to send their sickest patients anywhere with an open bed.
“We’re getting calls from everywhere, right, anywhere,” said Dr. Jarone Lee, who runs an Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Usually we just get our regional calls from Maine…but we're getting calls from all the way down from Florida asking for beds, because I know that other states are also having ICU bed crunches as well.”...
Massachusetts' ICU beds are full — and not just with COVID patients, says medical transport service
By Aaron Schachter and Hannah Reale
November 15, 2021
Just when experts are warning about a potential COVID and flu surge going into the winter holidays, Massachusetts’ main airborne medical transport service is warning about a dearth of ICU beds.
Hospital services are hamstrung by COVID-19 and other factors stemming from the pandemic, such as nursing shortages and a greater amount of sicker patients who might have delayed doctors’ appointments.
“In our 36 years, we’ve never seen this high volume of critically ill patients,” said Boston MedFlight CEO Maura Hughes.
Hughes said Boston MedFlight, which provides air and ground transportation for Massachusetts’ critically ill patients, has been inundated — as are local hospitals, even the biggest ones.
“We are taking patients anywhere that there’s an ICU bed. I’d say in the last week, we’ve probably taken a half dozen patients out of state. We’ve taken them to Connecticut, we’ve taken them to New Hampshire.”
But hospitals in other states are also seeking to send their sickest patients anywhere with an open bed.
“We’re getting calls from everywhere, right, anywhere,” said Dr. Jarone Lee, who runs an Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Usually we just get our regional calls from Maine…but we're getting calls from all the way down from Florida asking for beds, because I know that other states are also having ICU bed crunches as well.”...