WEBVTT - How Does Ambulance Diversion Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Bogobam here. The COVID nineteen pandemic has claimed more

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<v Speaker 1>than seven twenty thousand lives in the United States to date.

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<v Speaker 1>In terms of sheer numbers, it's become the deadliest event

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<v Speaker 1>in US history, surpassing the influenza epidemic and multiple wars.

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<v Speaker 1>As shocking as this number is, it doesn't capture the

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<v Speaker 1>full scope of COVID related casualties. Since the summer surge

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<v Speaker 1>began in early August, due mostly to the delta variant,

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<v Speaker 1>a COVID nineteen has overwhelmed hospitals and I See us

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<v Speaker 1>across the country. The federal government's latest data show Georgia

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<v Speaker 1>and Alabama are still at nearly a hundred percent of

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<v Speaker 1>their intensive care unit capacity, while Texas hovers it more

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<v Speaker 1>than I See You capacity. Idaho is at This type

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<v Speaker 1>of surge has forced many facility used to go on diversion,

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<v Speaker 1>leaving few resources for non COVID emergencies. For the article,

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<v Speaker 1>this episode is based on How Stuff Work. Spoke with

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<v Speaker 1>Dr John Delzel, vice president of Northeast Georgia Health System.

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<v Speaker 1>He described the situation as pretty dire saying, you just

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<v Speaker 1>get the point where you can't physically take care of

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<v Speaker 1>more people. So what happens when hospitals are so full?

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<v Speaker 1>Some may go on what's called diversion. Diversion describes a

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<v Speaker 1>situation when ambulance drivers are asked to avoid taking patients

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<v Speaker 1>to a specific hospital. Under normal circumstances, paramedics are supposed

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<v Speaker 1>to drive straight to the nearest hospital or emergency facility,

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<v Speaker 1>but when a diversion notices in place, they may have

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<v Speaker 1>to break that rule. Hospitals go on diversion when they

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<v Speaker 1>have more patients than beds. Doctors working under such circumstances

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<v Speaker 1>will usually try to outsource their patient's care to another

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<v Speaker 1>hospital if possible, in hopes of getting them treated sooner.

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<v Speaker 1>During a news conference in August, doctor Robert Jansen, chief

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<v Speaker 1>medical officer for Grady Health System in Atlanta, explained, a

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<v Speaker 1>diversion doesn't mean you can't come. It's our way of

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<v Speaker 1>communicating to the ambulances that were full, but we never

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<v Speaker 1>turn anyone down. Hospital diversion is rare, but not unprecedented.

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<v Speaker 1>It remains controversial in many states, and it's never an

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<v Speaker 1>option that medical facilities invoke. Lightly before COVID nineteen. Diversions

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<v Speaker 1>mainly occurred because of mechanical issues like power outages or

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<v Speaker 1>flooding at hospitals. While overcrowding from a single disease has

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<v Speaker 1>been historically very uncommon, it has happened. For example, hospitals

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<v Speaker 1>in New York City diverted ambulances during the height of

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<v Speaker 1>the AIDS epidemic, but diversions on the scale of the

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<v Speaker 1>current COVID nineteen wave are practically unheard of. Overcrowded hospitals

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<v Speaker 1>are forced to put patients wherever they can, often on

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<v Speaker 1>always stretchers or in overflow tents, but in a pact

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<v Speaker 1>I see you, patients may have to wait hours for

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<v Speaker 1>a staffed bed to open up. In severe cases, a

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<v Speaker 1>few hours can be the difference between life and death.

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<v Speaker 1>Since July, COVID cases and hospitalizations in the US have skyrocketed.

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<v Speaker 1>The delta variant is partly to blame, along with waning

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<v Speaker 1>vaccination rates and relaxed mask and indoor gathering policies. More

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<v Speaker 1>than of patients hospitalized with COVID nineteen are unvaccinated, and

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<v Speaker 1>the small handful of fully vaccinated COVID nineteen hospitalizations are

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<v Speaker 1>nearly all patients with multiple comorbidities. During the latest wave,

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<v Speaker 1>hospitals in states with low vaccination rates have been pushed

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<v Speaker 1>to the brink. In a press briefing, Dr James Schmia,

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<v Speaker 1>chief operating officer at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, said,

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<v Speaker 1>right now of our I See You beds house patients

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<v Speaker 1>who are on a ventilator or breathing machine. So when

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<v Speaker 1>we did have this amount of COVID it was thirty

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<v Speaker 1>six percent. In Georgia, only about thirteen percent if I

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<v Speaker 1>See You beds statewide remain unoccupied. As of September twenty

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<v Speaker 1>TEWOD only about a hundred and thirty individual I See

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<v Speaker 1>You beds were available in Kentucky. In August, Alabama ran

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<v Speaker 1>out of I SeeU beds entirely. How stuff works. Also

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<v Speaker 1>spoke with Dr Mark Mardsen, the chief medical officer for

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<v Speaker 1>Ascension St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He said, we

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<v Speaker 1>just don't really have the resources and the staff to

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<v Speaker 1>be able to handle these unlimited numbers of patients. Every

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<v Speaker 1>hospital in the city essentially has been on almost continuous

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<v Speaker 1>diversion for the last several weeks. When every hospital is

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<v Speaker 1>on diversion, it means that effectively, none of them are. Unfortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>folks still need urgent care outside of COVID nineteen. On

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<v Speaker 1>top of the virus, doctors must contend with the usual

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<v Speaker 1>number of strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, and other agencies.

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<v Speaker 1>With too few beds to go around, these patients might

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<v Speaker 1>not receive the care they need in time. In late July,

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<v Speaker 1>a twelve year old boy nearly died when his appendix

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<v Speaker 1>burst while waiting for more than six hours in a

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<v Speaker 1>Florida emergency room, and in August, US Army veteran Daniel

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<v Speaker 1>Wilkinson did die of gallstone pancreasis, a treatable issue, while

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<v Speaker 1>his Texas doctors scrambled to find him a bed. It's

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<v Speaker 1>been eighteen months since the coronavirus pandemic hit the US. Doctors, nurses,

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<v Speaker 1>and hospital staff around the country have been working tirelessly,

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<v Speaker 1>putting their own lives on the line in order to

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<v Speaker 1>save others. Now many are physically and emotionally exhausted. Martsen said,

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<v Speaker 1>everybody's tired. Everybody's sad because so many people are dying.

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<v Speaker 1>So much of this is preventable, which is frustrating healthcare providers.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article is your hospital

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<v Speaker 1>divert ambulances because of COVID nineteen on house to works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, written by Joanna Thompson. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of iHeart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is produced by Tyler Clang. For more podcasts

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