Mississippi doctor hears report of patients waiting in ambulances for hours for hospital bed
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Updated: 5:30 PM CST Jan 8, 2021
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Updated: 5:30 PM CST Jan 8, 2021
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HEALTH SAYS AS OF JANUARY 6, THERE ARE 60 INTENSIVE CARE BEDS AVAILABLE STATEWIDE. BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS -- SOME PATIENTS BEING TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE HAVE HAD TO WAIT HOURS BEFORE BEING ADMITTED. WAIT TIMES AT ONE HOSPITAL -- UP TO FIVE HOURS. 16 WAPT'S ROSS ADAMS SPOKE WITH DOCTORS.. HE JOINS US LIVE AT ST. DOMINIC.. AND ROSS -- DID DOCTORS SAY WHICH HOSPITAL HAD THAT 5 HOUR WAIT TIME? THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER COULDN'T VERIFY LONG WAIT TIMES HERE. BUT 1/3 OF ALL THE PATIENTS HERE ARE BATTLING COVID. HORNE 10:35-10:42 I THINK THAT MIGHT VARY FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION BUT AMBULANCES TYPICALLY DO NOT JUST SIT FOR THE LONG PERIODS OF TIME AT A HOSPITAL. THE COVID CRISIS IN MISSISSIPPI IS SO BAD, AMBULANCES TRANSPORTING PATIENTS TO ONE HOSPITAL WERE FORCED TO WAIT OUTSIDE FOR HOURS BEFORE THOSE PATIENTS COULD SEE A DOCTOR. DR. MARK HORNE/ 8:10-8:16 IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD THAT STORY. IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD THAT STORY FROM A MISSISSIPPI POSITION ABOUT A MISSISSIPPI HOSPITAL. THAT CHILLING ACCOUNT OF THE DIRE SITUATION FROM DR. MARK HORNE, PRESIDENT OF THE STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. HORNE 7:05-7:23 THAT AT THE FACILITY IN OUR STATE PATIENTS HAD WAITED UP TO FIVE HOURS IN AN AMBULANCE. CAN YOU NAME THAT HOSPITAL FOR ME? I'D RATHER NOT. BUT THE SOURCE WAS A GOOD CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE IT WAS A SOLID SOURCE. AT ST. DOMINIC HOSPITAL IN JACKSON MCVEY 2:46-2:52 WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WAIT DO YOU KNOW FIVE MINUTES VERSUS FIVE HOURS WOULD BE A BIG DIFFERENCE. CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER DR. ERIC MCVAY SAYS COULDN'T VERIFY WHETHER OR NOT ANY PATIENTS ARRIVING BY AMBULANCE WERE FORCED TO WAIT A LONG TIME BEFORE THEY COULD BE ADMITTED. MCVEY 3:45-3:57 IF A SICK PATIENT HAS TO WAIT IN AN AMBULANCE FOR HOURS WHAT IS THAT LIKE? THAT'S NOT A PRETTY PICTURE FOR ANY OF US. THAT'S FOR SURE. MCVEY SAYS RIGHT NOW COVID PATIENTS MAKE UP 1/3 OF ALL THOSE BEING TREATED AT THE HOSPITAL MCVEY 2:24-2:34 IT'S A DIFFICULT SITUATION BUT THAT'S WHAT'S CREATING ANY BACKLOG IN THE ED WHICH CREATES BACKLOG IN THE AMBULANCE WAIT TIMES. BOTH DOCTORS SAY THE SITUATION IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE WITH THOUSANDS OF NEW COVID CASES EVERY DAY. ROSS ADAMS AT 16 WAPT NE