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Several New Jersey hospitals have changed status and stopped accepting new patients this week in part due to an increase in the number of coronavirus patients statewide.
Nine hospitals in different parts of the Garden State have reached the “detour,” including St. Francis Medical Center in Mercer County and AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Egg Harbor Township, the Health Commissioner of Egg Harbor said. New Jersey Judith Persichilli at a press conference in Trenton Thursday.
“Diversion status” means that the entire hospital or unit cannot accept new patients temporarily, and these patients are referred to other medical centers.
“We currently have several hospitals in hijacking. It’s a combination of complete diversion, partial diversion from intensive care and diversion from psychiatric services, “she said, citing” a general increase in the overall volume, certainly exacerbated by the increase in the number of COVID patients “.
New Jersey hospitals had 1,827 patients with confirmed or suspected cases as of Wednesday night, the highest number since June 5 but more than 6,000 below the peak of the pandemic in the spring. The statewide transmission rate rose to 1.3 on Thursday, meaning the epidemic is expanding.
In Trenton, St. Francis Medical Center diverted patients from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, hospital spokeswoman Jennifer McGowan-Smith said.
McGowan-Smith said a higher number of coronavirus cases in hospital was contributing to the need to turn patients away. Earlier in the fall, she said, the number of COVID-19 cases in hospital was in the lower single-digit numbers, but reached their mid-teens.
The hospital’s flu volume is low, she said, with just a few cases in the past two weeks.
“St. Francis Medical Center has an increased number of COVID cases which has contributed to our need to continue to turn away. We also have a large number of non-COVID patients, ”she said. “We want to emphasize that people should go to the emergency room when they have an urgent need, don’t delay.”
The hospitals that Persichilli listed in Thursday’s press conference have been turned away from their status for a mix of reasons.
East Orange General Hospital was temporarily diverting patients on Wednesday due to an equipment problem, the hospital said in an emailed statement.
“The emergency department at Orange General Hospital is temporarily diverting some ambulance traffic to other emergency departments in the region as we tackle an equipment issue. Our hijack status is unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to resolve the equipment problem and will come back to accepting all ambulance traffic as soon as possible, ”the statement said.
Virtua Willingboro Hospital in Burlington County also temporarily turned away patients this week due to an “unusually high volume of patients in its emergency department,” the hospital spokesperson said, Daniel Moise. “A critically ill non-COVID patient in need of extensive intervention” also contributed to the decision to divert, he said.
In Gloucester County, the Jefferson Washington Township Hospital temporarily turned away patients on Tuesday due to an influx of patients “primarily unrelated to COVID-19,” hospital spokeswoman Nicole Pensiero said. The hospital has seen a slight increase in coronavirus cases, however.
To prepare for a possible increase in cases, an expansion project is underway at the hospital that will add 90 new private rooms to the 230-bed acute care medical center next year.
“In addition, we take precautions to ensure that all patients requiring respiratory assistance – whether diagnosed with COVID or not – are provided with private rooms to ensure their safety and that of other patients in our hospital. Pensiero said.
The main campus of the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Galloway Township was temporarily hijacked on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning “due to a large number of patients arriving in a short period of time,” the spokesperson said. Jennifer Tornetta Hospital.
“We maintained our ability to care for critically ill patients and worked with our city campus emergency center, our EMS team, and emergency departments at other community hospitals to ensure that all emergency patients have access to care. We treated patients with flu or COVID who were positive for the flu or COVID in the emergency department who were discharged to continue their care at home, as well as those who needed to be admitted to hospital.
She reminded those who are sick, when possible and not facing an emergency, to call the hospital before seeking treatment to avoid a sudden influx of patients.
“We are seeing more cases of people with the flu, COVID and other illnesses and injuries,” she said. prevent the spread of influenza, COVID and other infectious diseases. “
To stem the second wave of cases, Murphy on Thursday revealed a new executive order granting counties and cities the power to force non-essential businesses to close at 8 p.m. if they choose.
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Avalon Zoppo can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
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