Half of Florida hospitals turning away patient transfers, 17K COVID patients statewide
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida’s hospitals are at a critical point where they’re filling up with patients, and they’re facing severe staffing shortages.
In a tale of two COVID summers, Florida’s hospitals are fuller now than they’ve ever been before.
“We are close to 17,000 COVID hospitalizations statewide. To put that into perspective, our highest peak was last July 2020 10,200,” said Mary Mayhew, president of the Florida Hospital Association in an interview with CBS12 News.
The association is the largest in the state, representing more than 200 hospitals.
Over half the hospitals are turning inward, only able to help their own patients.
“Over 50 percent of the hospitals that responded to our survey are not accepting patient transfers,” she said.
Of the 17,000 COVID patients in the hospital here, 20% are in the ICU. Anywhere between 1/3rd to half of the patients at a hospital are there for COVID. And while some hospitals have created extra space, like converting cafeterias or hallways, it only goes as far as their staffing takes them.
“While you can bring beds in, you still need to be able to staff them and we have a severe healthcare workforce shortage right now,” she said.
The association released a public service announcement today, promoting the vaccine, 90 percent of the patients have not been vaccinated.
“And now we have this very aggressive Delta variant. This mutation is absolutely effecting a much younger population which is why we got 20 year old’s, 30 year old’s in the hospital acutely ill and a higher number of pediatric cases,” she said.
There are 190 Florida kids in the hospital right being treated for COVID. Mayhew says for the kids 12 and older to get vaccinated, for the one’s younger, follow CDC guidelines.
