http://medtech.syrene.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3689

regional hospitals overwhelmed



"...pull out your maps and check out the geography on this.

last night due to sick staff and high patient loads, our hospital ran out of beds. the ER became an inpatient ward. the lobby was a triage zone. fast track was open for outpatient care- all surgery canceled until further notice. all patients diverted to other hospitals.....- unfortunately the same situation occurred in Klammath falls, Ashland, Medford, Grants pass, Roseburg. essentially all of southern Oregon.

this is a lightweight virus.

Not really a rumor but more of an anecdotal report. I'm in Orange County, CA and on Facebook it suddenly seems like EVERY parent with kids in school is reporting that ALL of their kids have the flu. One Mom will post that her kids are sick and then five other Moms chime in too. Seemed to happen almost overnight.

Even with 22 deaths here I still thought we hadn't been hit too bad here yet. But, wow, talk about infections peaking around October 15! It sounds like a swine flu feeding frenzy out there!

Until it isn't.

The signs re: no children under 12 unless they are here for treatment went up Friday at my institution.

Not only at all the main entrances but on the sky bridges as well. Sky bridges are pedestrian bridges that link one building to another. It saves our patients from having to cross busy streets, saves them from the mosquitoes and the heat and humidity.

That's a signifigant pucker factor right there even if it's precationary

Yes, GTA, it is. In 10 years - I have never seen this.

The only reason I noticed the signs on the skybridge Friday was because about 10 employees were clustered around them. Most had puzzled looks on their faces.

The signs at the actual entrances/exits were still the same H1N1 signs we've seen since last April - you know, cover your cough, don't visit if you are sick. However, just behind those signs and facing the wall were the new signs about no kids under 12.

The reason this particular skybridge has the signs is because it connects a hotel with the hospital. This particular hotel is specifically for our cancer patients.

I'm going to check the other skybridge on Monday but I think I will see the same thing there.

Understand, however, that I work in a hospital that only treats cancer patients - no heart surgery, no maternity ward. TPTB at my hospital are extremely sensitive to the fact that many of our patients are already immunocompromised and, thus, fragile.

We usually see signs go up during seasonal influenza season and during outbreaks of other viruses asking folks to be sensitive to the patients by covering their cough, etc. But we have never seen signs excluding children nor have we ever seen our day care center closed. We also have never seen active screening for H1N1 during clinic check-in.

I went to my doctor a couple of weeks ago and on the way I go through another hospital. This hospital had signs posted to use hand sanitizer upon entrance and exit from the hospital in order to reduce visitor risk to H1N1. This was kind of odd, too.

From Silver Wolf off of the Rumour thread:

Putting this here because although I heard this first-hand, I cannot provide precise factual back-up (and it is somewhat speculative on my part to put two and two together):

Someone I work with has a son who is a serviceman -- military police.
He and his unit are being sent to the midwest area (Ohio, Indiana area probably, not confirmed). This was rather a surprise to him and his family -- the family member speculated it could be related to something to do with pandemic?

Anyway, then, a day later, the National Emergency is declared.

Seems like a curious coincidenceoka

We received another e-mail on Friday. No employee children allowed on campus - at ALL! Hmmmmmmmmmmm

This has always been a child friendly place - until now.

Makes you wonder, when we are all going to be banned.

That makes enormous sense to me. I constantly rant and rave at my germophobe DSIL and DD. They constantly use antibacterial this and that in their home.

Not to mention the fact that today's kids (most of them) spend very little time outside playing in the dirt.

Hmmmmmmmm

The source of the following info is today's Essex County Press Republican.

In Peru, a town at northern edge of Adirondacks, middle and high school approaching 50% absentee rate. The school administration intends to keep schools open until they can "no longer teach or supervise" the children. A game called Russian Roulette comes to mind! CVPH, the main hospital up there(in Plattsburg), reports all time highs reached for visits in their ER. Almost all of the increase is due to flu like illness. They have set up their ambulance bay as a flu triage and treatment area. Our local school was running with about 16% out early last week. Do not know this weeks numbers. Another week or so should see it moving into the adult population. DW and I are discussing her going off chemo for a while. Clear and present danger stuff. Also limiting our going out on errands and social trips. Our captain has asked us to be sure and use PPE(incl N-95 and NOT surgical masks, when we go on a medical run. Life seems so normal and yet what lurks........

I live in western Canada, at a fireworks show in our neighborhood, Sat nite I was talking with some neighbors. The one couple are both respirator therapists, at our local hospital, the ones who tube H1N1 patients. They told me of a survey done in the five major cites in Alberta and BC, it asked how many where vaccinating their children, only 35% said yes. 65% said NO!!

So far we are still short of vaccine, in my area they can`t even do the pregnant women or the children. Suppose to start tomorrow.

My son had a flight booked to Kiev on Tuesday (a business trip, but he just canceled it.) I’ve been showing him all the posts about the epidemic ravaging the Ukraine right now....H1N1 and possibly SARS. Our customer in Kiev strongly suggested that he not make the trip. He said the situation is worse than the media is reporting. The doctors are not sure exactly what this virus is. Lots of hemorrahgic(sp?) pneumonia and the virus is not fitting the established norms. They don’t know for sure what it is and are awaiting the WHO investigation. They are closing their borders, canceling events, closing the schools, etc. They are totally out of any medicines (analgisics, antibiotics, etc.) in the pharmacies.

This is all annecdotal information, but we have known this man for years and have no reason to doubt him. He is seriously frightened.

In Middle GA, as of today, no one under the age of 17 is allowed in any of the regional hospitals due to the high level of H1N1 in that population.

Leo