Los Alemitos (CBSLA) – Patients being taken to hospital after an ambulance suspended by the Orange County Health Care Agency are experiencing long lines in the bays of the emergency room.
Ambulance diversion allowed hospitals to request that emergency patients be taken to other medical centers. There is a spike in COVID-19 patients as there are too many hospitals in Orange County in capacity, postponing divers means that hospitals must accept regardless of the capacity of the patients.
In some hospitals, this makes the wait longer, but prevents patients from taking them when hospitals are not full.
At Los Alamitos Medical Center, a line of at least 17 ambulances with patients was found outside the bay of the emergency room on Wednesday. Paramedics from Unheim, Long Beach, the Orange County Fire Authority and the LA County Fire Department were waiting with their patients, some of whom were on the gurney, heading for the emergency room bay driveway.
Some patients received EKG and X-rays in the bay itself, according to an EMT who asked not to be identified. He said some hospitals do not accept patients until they first get the Covid-19 test.
Orange County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has temporarily suspended all ambulance diversions for hospitals participating in the 9-1-1 system. Please contact Dr. EMS Medical Director. See the statement of Carl Schultz. # OCCOVID19 # StopHesurg # Slow the spread #WearAMask pic.twitter.com/XkD5gmOVhy
– OC Health Care Agency (5th Health) December 17, 2020
Dr. Carl Schultz, EMS medical director of Orange Range County, said they were forced to take the step because almost all hospitals were turning to ambulances at the same time due to the high number of patients.
The delayed relocation of ambulances “will spread throughout this county and help alleviate the growing concern of finding hospital locations for ambulances,” he said. “To the best of our knowledge, this has never happened before.”
On Thursday, the county again broke its hospital admissions record – which has recently become a daily occurrence.
There are currently 1,519 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 343 in ICU beds. The county’s adjusted ICU bed capacity is at zero.
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