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The very real consequences of hospital bed shortages

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Illinois

* The BND has a really good story about 2020 today, but here’s a brief excerpt…

Lack of awareness or recognition of the pandemic’s deadliness costs lives, and not just those who are sick with COVID-19, said Dr. Jeff Ripperda, a family medicine doctor at Shawnee Healthcare in Murphysboro.

He had to send a terminally ill cancer patient to a hospital more than a hundred miles away because all the local intensive care units were taken by COVID-19 patients. She needed intensive care to help her die a peaceful death.

“The problem that she ran into? There were no beds available for her. She wasn’t able to stay in Murphysboro because she was too sick. Carbondale, no ICU beds. Herrin, no ICU beds. Marion, no ICU beds. Cape Girardeau, no ICU beds. The metro-east, no ICU beds.

“Someone who wants to go to a bar on Friday night might say ‘that has nothing to do with me’ but they’re wrong, it has everything to do with them.”

A close family member of mine had the very same problem getting admitted to a hospital this week.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:05 am

Comments

People just don’t think it is a problem until it affects them personally. Disappointing.

Comment by Chambanalyst Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:07 am
That’s the sickening price to be paid so Bailey, DeVore and Ives can have their Christmas party.

Comment by don the legend Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:16 am
Website where you can track hospitalizations and ICU bed capacity down to the county level. If a county has “No Data” it’s most likely because their patients were transferred to a larger hospital system, not because there weren’t any patients from that county. In some cases, almost half the patients in ICU are on ventilators. And, once you are on a ventilator, especially if you have other co-morbidities, recovery is poor.

From the project’s homepage:

“As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolds across the United States, one of the greatest barriers we are encountering is the absence of credible and consistent data. Tracking daily hospitalization data is a major step forward in quantifying the current impact on local hospital systems, modeling and forecasting future utilization needs, and tracking the rate of change in the disease severity.
The Medical Industry Leadership Institute (MILI) and the Management Information Systems Research Center (MISRC) at the Carlson School of Management has launched this project on March 26th to consistently track and report daily hospitalizations from all 50 states.”

https://carlsonschool.umn.edu/mili-misrc-covid19-tracking-project

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:22 am
But, but, I was told this pandemic would be over right after the election. /S

Covid-19 should put an end to the GOP touting themselves as the party of pro-life.

Comment by Jocko Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:23 am
Living in deep southern Illinois does have its drawbacks. Access to comprehensive medical care tops the list.
I have always questioned SIH, but I guess we take what we get.

Comment by Blue Dog Dem Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:23 am
What do you say to friend who’s family member can’t get into an ICU bed because it’s full of COVID patients?

I’m sorry a large segment of our society is so selfish and ignorant that they refuse to wear a mask to avoid spreading the virus. I’m sorry, we have a president and his party who have foster misinformation and defiance of public health efforts to get elected.

My friend says, he’s sorry but that doesn’t help his family member.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:28 am
Blue Dog Dem with is inevitable “oh well, them’s the breaks” comment.

The southern seven has been the epicenter of one of the nation’s hotspots per capita. Not because a lack of hospitals, nor your flaky opinion of SIH, but because the mass population’s overall denial of the severity of this pandemic.

Simply because their demigod and his lapdogs at FoxNews told them so.

Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:32 am
== Living in deep southern Illinois does have its drawbacks. Access to comprehensive medical care tops the list.
I have always questioned SIH, but I guess we take what we get.==
I worked in EMS and prehospital care in deep southern IL back in the day (literally 40 years ago) and you just knew that your patients did not have that all important golden hour.
It as improved greatly, but indeed remains a trade off for living in rural southern IL.

We live close to one of ARCH’s satellite bases, and consequently are on the flight path. I can’t remember a time ever when there have been so many flights. It’s a nearly constant and endless stream the last 6 weeks or so.

Comment by DownSouth Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 10:40 am
Hospitals are doing their normal jobs, caring for patients who are sick with health issues unrelated to coronavirus, and also caring for all of the coronavirus patients. It takes a toll, but they are doing an amazing balancing act trying to care for as many people as possible. Oblivious jerks are making that job more difficult.

Comment by Feldy Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:02 am
I wonder if state of Illinois’ dashboard on ICU beds is out of date or wrong, as it shows ICU availability. Perhaps I’m in the wrong place.

https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/hospitalization-utilization

Comment by Robert the Bruce Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:33 am
You cannot tell it to these Trump republicans. Nothing is ever what it is, it always has to be a conspiracy, so they always avoid responsibility.

That goes for local Illinoisans. Trumpism isn’t just a national problem.

Comment by TheUpperRoom Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 11:50 am
Jeff grew up next to me. He has been “preaching” here in southern Illinois about wearing a mask, and listening to IDPH. His niece almost died from COVID. Keep preaching Jeff.

Comment by wondering wendy Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:13 pm
=Republicans just don’t think it is a problem until it affects them personally.=

Fixed it.

Comment by LakeCo Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:18 pm
And family members who want to journey with this patient on their last days will be forced to drive 100 miles too. That means they will likely have to pay for a motel now that they can not easily drive back and forth to their local house to spend a night. More stress when they need it the least.

Comment by Jimbo26 Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:19 pm
This is my fear for my parents.

They’re very careful and probably won’t get covid, but they are old and may well get… something else.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:52 pm
Yay freedom /s

Comment by The Way I See It Friday, Dec 18, 20 @ 12:55 pm