They did get treatment immediately when they went to Swedish Medical Center, even though it took longer than they anticipated. They took him back to an ER bed but when they needed to admit him they got a surprise.
It’s not what you want to hear when you need medical attention — that there are no available hospital beds. That’s what one Littleton couple heard Saturday night.
“You expect in the United States when you go into a hospital that you are going to be able to get help,” says Chris Mikesell.
Mikesell’s husband is recovering from a knee surgery and has developed a painful blood clot.
“So we decided we had better have it checked out by a physician,” said Chris.
Chris explains, “We were told that they had no beds.”
Not only at Swedish Medical Center, but in the entire HCA system, which includes Centennial Hospital, North Suburban Medical Center, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Rose Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center, Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital and The Medical Center of Aurora.
Dr. Reginald Washington is the Chief Medical Officer for HealthOne Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. He says a bed shortage can happen, but they are always prepared for that scenario.
“We have various contingency plans on where we can safely place patients,” he said.
That’s what happened with the Mikesells on Saturday. They gave them an ER bed until they were able to move into an empty bed Sunday.
Even though case numbers are rising, this shortage was not caused by COVID-19. Still, after seeing how quickly our hospitals can become backlogged, Chris is worried that may change.
“Next week with all the students going back to school, what’s going to happen when COVID starts erupting again?” she said.
Washington says there is no need to worry — they are prepared. However, he says, if we want to keep our hospitals running smoothly there is a simple way everyone can do their part to make sure that happens.
“My personal plea would be to get a vaccine if you are eligible and wear a mask even if you have been vaccinated,” he said.
Washington says he thinks HCA hospitals have been busy recently because people are finally getting elective procedures done they had been putting off because of the pandemic, but he says he knows that no matter how busy they get his staff will do whatever it takes to provide quality care.
