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A senior Mayo Clinic Health System official said on Tuesday that amid a continuing high number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations and limited capacity, a number of beds had been placed in an ambulance garage.
Dr Richard Helmers, regional vice president of the Mayo Clinic Health System in northwestern Wisconsin, told Fox News the situation is “fluid,” but at times all five hospitals in the health system are full.
The configuration is not used for coronavirus patients
(Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Health System)
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“With limited hospital beds available, we often have to keep patients in our emergency department longer than usual,” Helmers wrote in an email. “We installed four emergency beds in our ambulance garage at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire to respond to peak times in the emergency department, and we used those beds last week.
The setup is not used for coronavirus patients, he said.
The beds were used last week.
(Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Health System)
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“While not ideal, it is a clean, heated space where we can safely care for patients with less serious injuries or conditions,” he said. “We have identified an additional space in a seating area inside the department where we can place beds if necessary.”
The seating area is not a public space, he said.
In addition, patients are separated by cubicles while waiting for treatment in the waiting room.
Cabins separate patients in the waiting area.
(Courtesy of Mayo Clinic Health System)
“The Mayo Clinic healthcare system wishes to assure the public that we remain open to emergency and trauma care, and that patients in need of emergency medical care should not hesitate to seek it,” said Helmers concluded.
The comments follow news nearly two weeks ago that hospitals in the Mayo Clinic’s health system in the northwestern region of Wisconsin have reached 100% of their capacity, local media WQOW reported. . The Mayo Clinic Health System operates hospitals in Barron, Bloomer, Eau Claire, Osseo and Menomonie, depending on the outlet.
At the time, around 50% of intensive care unit patients had COVID-19, while coronavirus patients occupied 40% of the system’s medical or surgical beds.
“The public must urgently treat COVID-19 as the health emergency it represents to prevent the health system from being overwhelmed. We call on everyone to wear a mask and follow all public health guidelines to limit the spread of this disease, “hospital officials said in a statement.
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Madeline Farber of Fox News contributed to this report.
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