INDIANAPOLIS — The flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses are overwhelming Indianapolis hospitals.
“A host of viral illnesses that are higher than we have seen for over a year are taking up hospital beds,” Dr. Christopher Doehring, VP of Medical Affairs at Franciscan Health, said.
Doehring says the hospitals are averaging more than 30 patients a day who need a bed due to a respiratory illness.
“Usually requiring oxygen, maybe being on a ventilator or some other form of oxygen support,” Doehring said.
He also says it’s a busy time of the year for surgeries.
"A lot of patients need to get in for surgeries before the end of year, so that combination has created a lot of stress and strain within hospitals today," Doehring said.
He says that stress and strain from the influx in patients at Franciscan Health is leading to longer wait times.
“Patients are having to wait in the emergency department to be put in a bed for a day or two, which is not ideal,” Doehring said. “It also makes it hard for hospitals like ours to take patients from smaller hospitals, so patients are having to wait longer to transfer in cases like that.”
Doehring says hospitals rely on each other and work to transfer patients to other hospitals that aren’t as full, but healthcare workers are overwhelmed.
“We’ve had a lot of staffing shortages coming out of the pandemic. It puts a greater burden on a smaller staff so we are trying to do what we can to support our folks,” Doehring said.
Doehring says the good news is Franciscan Health is not seeing a ton of patients filling up ICU beds like doctors saw early in the pandemic.
Healthcare workers encourage people to watch for cough, fever and congestion symptoms over the holidays.
