Hospitals in Tulsa are filled to capacity with patients diagnosed with flu-like symptoms.
“ERs that normally see 60 -70 patients like at OSU medical, they may be up to 90-100,” said Dr. Scott Cyrus with Hillcrest South. “Those that are used to 200-300 a day are seeing 400-500 a day. Everything is being taxed.”
Dr. Cyrus oversees most of the physicians’ staff in Tulsa.
“It is happening at Hillcrest South. It’s happening at all the major hospitals. I’m on staff at six hospitals here in Tulsa, I see that across the board. We can’t hold someone at one hospital so they can’t be there-they have to transferred to another hospital where there is potentially a bed. “They are being held in the emergency room then they are being held in the children day hospital. It’s unfortunate. Families don’t like it. Nurses don’t like it. Doctors don’t like it but it’s necessary, to get them the right care.
If all the facilities were to be filled and there was no room for transferring patients around, then the hospitals would use their emergency plan and work with surrounding cities to use their hospital space, such as: Owasso and Broken Arrow.
“Hospitals are asking nurses to work overtime,” said Dr. Cyrus. “Hospitals are asking workers to work over time, and they do it willingly because the demand is there.”
