Madison ER Closes, Geauga Stays Full
University Hospitals announced Dec. 31 the closure of the emergency department, including lab and X-ray services, at UH Lake Health Madison Health Center through Jan. 17.
University Hospitals announced Dec. 31 the closure of the emergency department, including lab and X-ray services, at UH Lake Health Madison Health Center through Jan. 17.
In a press release, UH said with COVID-19 hospitalizations at a record high, staff will be reallocated to other UH Lake Health areas where needs are greatest. Emergency departments at TriPoint Medical Center in Concord and UH Geauga Medical Center remain open.
“As hospitals across the country are being impacted by the surge in COVID-19 patients, we remain committed to providing the safest and highest quality of care to our patients in Lake County and surrounding communities,” UH Lake Health President Cynthia Moore-Hardy said. “This move is for an indefinite period of time as we address immediate needs. We appreciate the flexibility and dedication of our caregivers, who have served our hospitals and community heroically throughout the pandemic.”
UH said the closure will be reassessed mid-January, adding the surge in COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for health systems across Northeast Ohio.
University Hospitals have received almost 300 Ohio National Guard troops who were deployed in December by Gov. Mike DeWine to shore up staffing across the state’s hospital systems. Members of the ONG are working with the area’s hospital systems to support testing sites across the region and divert crowds from overflowing emergency rooms.
“We are thankful for the brave men and women of our armed forces who are supporting our frontline heroes,” UH officials said in a press release.
In Geauga County, internet rumors surrounding the use of refrigerated morgue trucks at UH Geauga spread rapidly over the weekend. The trucks have been staged at many UH hospitals for months and a Jan. 4 UH press statement said they are there to address capacity issues in hospital morgues.
As of Jan. 2, the Ohio Department of Health reported 115 Geauga County residents have been hospitalized for COVID-related illness, and 17 have died of the disease since Dec. 1. A majority of the hospitalizations – 35 – were in patients between age 60 and 69. All of the deaths were in those over 60.
“We have record numbers of COVID-19 patients overcrowding our ICUs, emergency departments and inpatient units, and the pandemic is straining our capacity to provide the care these patients need. This challenge is complicated by how many of our caregivers have contracted the virus even though the overwhelming majority are vaccinated,” the UH statement said. “We need your help in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and the omicron variant that is highly contagious. The best way to prevent severe and life-threatening illness is to get vaccinated, get your booster and observe sensible safety precautions that include masking, physical distancing and hand hygiene. Nine of 10 patients in our ICUs are unvaccinated.”
The UH Geauga emergency department reminded readers COVID-19 testing is no longer provided at the ER unless the patient is being admitted to the hospital.
For a majority of people, having COVID-19 is not a medical emergency, the website states, and it is safe to recover at home. However, emergency medical attention is required if you are experiencing severe, life-threatening symptoms, which may include difficulty breathing, fever of 103 degrees or higher, racing heart, confusion or difficulty walking, bluish lips or face, severe cough or headache, or chest pain or pressure.
