There could be a shortage of hospital beds in 15 states if 35% of Americans get sick from the H1N1 (swine) flu virus, and 12 other states could reach or exceed 75% of their hospital bed capacity, a study released Thursday shows.
The number of people who could get sick with H1N1 flu in the United States ranges from a high of 12.9 million in California and a low of 186,434 in Wyoming, and the number of people who are hospitalized could range from a high of 168,025 in California to a low of 2,485 in Wyoming, according to the report from the non-profit group Trust for America’s Health.
The 15 states that could be at capacity or exceed hospital bed capacity are: Arizona (117 percent); California (125 percent); Connecticut (148 percent); Delaware (203 percent); Hawaii (143 percent); Maryland (143 percent); Massachusetts (110 percent); Nevada (137 percent); New Jersey (101 percent); New York (108 percent); Oregon (107 percent); Rhode Island (143 percent); Vermont (108 percent); Virginia (100 percent); and Washington (107 percent).
The 12 states that could be at 75% to 99% of hospital bed capacity are: Colorado (88 percent); Florida (80 percent); Georgia (78 percent); Maine (83 percent); Michigan (79 percent); New Hampshire (84 percent); New Mexico (93 percent); North Carolina (95 percent); Pennsylvania (77 percent): South Carolina (93 percent); Utah (83 percent); and Wisconsin (75 percent).
The estimates were created using the FluSurge model developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The country’s much more prepared than we were a few short years ago for a pandemic, but there are some long-term underlying problems which complicate response efforts, like surge capacity and the need to modernize core public health areas like communications and surveillance capabilities,” Jeff Levi, executive director at Trust for America’s Health, said in a news release.
more at link:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-03-swine-flu-hospitals_N.htm
Hospitals see surge in swine flu concerns
Dallas Business Journal - by By Joyce Tsai Staff writer
North Texas hospitals are seeing a surge of patients come through their emergency rooms because of heightened concern over swine flu.
A number of hospitals are seeing as much as a 25% to 35% increase in potential swine flu patients, said W. Stephen Love, president and chief executive officer of Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council.
And in particular, the children’s hospitals in the area, such as Children’s Medical Centers in Dallas and Plano and Cooks Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, are seeing surges in possible swine flu patients.
To keep up with that increased number of potential swine flu patients, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council announced that its 75 member hospitals in the North Texas area are adhering to a consistent set of guidelines for the H1N1 testing of patients that it wants people to be aware of before going to a hospital.
At hospitals in the D-FW area, H1N1 testing generally will be performed for the following types of patients:
a patient hospitalized with a flu-like illness with a fever more than 100 degrees and cough or sore throat, as well as one or both of the following conditions – severe illness, such as lower respiratory infection or pneumonia or “unusual presentation” in a person with immunosuppression,
pregnant women with flu-like symptoms,
a person who has died with a flu-like illness with no other cause of death,
those involved in a public health investigation, with samples submitted by these people.
more at link: http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/09/28/daily50.html