RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — Things are getting bad inside the emergency room at Baptist Health in Richmond.
“We are seeing, on average, close to 20 more patients in a 24-hour period. That’s from last year to this year,” said Lora King, the Director of Emergency Services at Richmond’s Baptist Health Hospital.
King says the current volume is manageable, but she is concerned because we haven’t yet reached peak flu season, and there could be a big surge following the Christmas holiday. She also wants to get word out that while they won’t turn anyone away, not every ailment requires an E.R. visit.
“Locally in Richmond we have urgent treatment centers, primary care doctors, we have Little Clinics. We would like to see emergency only visits at this time because then we’re able to get people through quicker,” King explained.
King said she and her staff prepared for this as it seemed somewhat inevitable this year as we’ve all relaxed as COVID-19 has dissipated. So, her hospital is well-staffed and has reconfigured its E.R. to accommodate the extra workload. Still, she’d like to avoid overwhelming her physicians and nurses as much as possible.
“You might have a bit longer wait than you’re used to, and we just want you to be kind to the nurses that are trying their hardest to get you through quickly,” she said.
