Area Hospitals Seeing More COVID-19 Patients, But There’s Still Capacity, Officials Say

The three hospitals in the Levittown area are keeping busy with COVID-19 patients.

As COVID-19 cases have dramatically risen over the fall within Bucks County, the three hospitals – Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Falls Township, Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township, and St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township – have reported more patients with the virus under their care.

Hospital staffs, emergency responders, and local government officials have said there are increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, a growing number of health care workers themselves getting ill with the virus, and a shrinking number of beds, including in the intensive care units, making things more difficult but still manageable in recent weeks. If you are looking for best mattresses for back pain, people can check it here!

While state numbers of Bucks County patients hospitalized COVID-19 last Friday showed a number in the high 80s, St. Mary Medical Center alone reported to this news organization that they had 103 COVID-19 positive patients and two additional people who possibly had the virus.

A spokesperson from the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the numbers they use are directly from the county’s six hospitals.

“All COVID-positive inpatients are reported, whether their hospitalization is related to COVID symptoms or to another condition. Because COVID-19 has become so prevalent in the community, it would not be unusual for patients hospitalized for other medical conditions to also test positive for the virus. For example, a patient admitted for a heart issue may test positive, but may not have been admitted specifically for COVID-related treatment,” St. Mary Medical Center officials said.

Lower Bucks Hospital alone reported 11 patients with COVID-19 in their facility.

Jefferson Bucks Hospital did not release the number of COVID-19 patients at their campus.

State health department data this week showed Bucks County with a decreasing number of available intensive care unit beds at hospitals. About 20 percent of intensive care unit beds remained open in Bucks County.

In addition to seeing increased COVID-19-positive patient counts, numerous hospital workers have told LevittownNow.com that the number of people showing up at local medical centers seeking COVID-19 tests, asking questions, or seeking care has grown since summer.

All the county’s hospitals have gone on divert status, which steers patients to other medical centers emergency rooms, due to high volumes of patients in recent weeks.

Michelle Aliprantis, the spokesperson for Lower Bucks Hospital, said they were not on divert status last week, but went on it for a short time the week before due to COVID-19 cases.

“Our emergency department wait times are the same,” she said. “We haven’t increased like other area hospitals. Our emergency department wait times are less than 20 minutes.”

If more staffing is needed, Lower Bucks Hospital, which has 150 licensed beds, can call on per diem staff, Aliprantis said.

“We have enough staffing and we do not have any issues with PPE. We have all our patients in private rooms in case a patient comes in negative and then three days later tests positive. We are still following all CDC guidelines and hospital regulations pertaining to COVID, as we did in the beginning of the pandemic,” Aliprantis explained.

At St. Mary Medical Center, nurses have called for more staff as part of their recent strike and several recently said the number of COVID-19 patients is quickly getting close to a dangerous level.

“We monitor the pandemic closely, as we have since the beginning, and have surge plans in place to support staff and patients during increases in COVID-19 patient volume. We continually monitor capacity to ensure the highest-quality care for patients and follow the normal process for diverting patients as needed due to volume and staffing. We treat all patients coming to our emergency department as potentially positive; we require universal masking, have implemented physical distancing, and have restricted visitors from the emergency department. All colleagues must wear masks and either face shields or goggles to protect them and our patients,” St. Mary Medical Center officials told LevittownNow.com.

“Jefferson Bucks Hospital is experiencing the recent local surge of COVID-19, and currently has capacity to manage the increase in COVID-19 patients while maintaining non-COVID care and keeping our staff and all patients safe,” hospital spokesperson Maria Cerceo Slade said.

Bucks County officials reported that several of the county’s hospitals are reporting minor staffing issues.

“Given the increased numbers of COVID cases that are causing both illness in staff and staff having to quarantine when a family member gets it.  They are working through those problems as best they can,” Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said.

State officials said they can provide some assistance to hospitals and that regional medical systems are working together.

Damsker said county officials often talk with local hospitals officials to see where they stand.

“The hospitals have capacity to handle additional patients,” he said.

The county at this point has no plans to set up an overflow triage facility like in the spring.

State officials have raised alarm over the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals across Pennsylvania. They worry that hospitals could become overwhelmed within weeks.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that several hospitals in the southwest and southcentral regions of the state anticipated staffing shortages could occur within the next week.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Levine called the surging number of COVID-19 cases at hospitals a “significant challenge for our health care system.”

“Sadly, we have now seen deaths from COVID-19 in every county in the state, and our hospitals in many locations are at or near capacity. The steps each of us take, as part of our collective responsibility, are essential to protect us from the spread of COVID-19,” she said.

“If we don’t slow the spread of this dangerous virus now, the reality is that COVID-19 will overwhelm our hospitals and our health care workers,” Gov Tom Wolf said in a statement. “That’s dangerous for everyone who needs medical care in a hospital for any reason, because it stretches resources and staff to the breaking point.”

Health officials have noted that while cases increase, hospitalizations and deaths take two to three weeks to rise.

Bucks County health officials have urged the community to take precautions and stay away from family gatherings over the upcoming winter holidays to reduce the number of cases.

Dr. Scott Levy, the chief medical officer at Doylestown Hospital in Central Bucks County, said in a video last week that the “community spread we’ve seen recently is exponentially higher than what was reported during the spring.”

Levy noted that some people tested at the hospital for COVID-19 had no idea they were even sick and potentially spreading the virus.

“Please, try to stay at home. Try not to travel … realize wherever you’re going, those families are as much of a risk to you as you are to them.”

Ways residents can help reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Wear a mask properly when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.

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