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Amid fears of overwhelmed medical systems, data shows ample hospital capacity nationwide
Just the news ^ | December 13,2020 | Daniel Payne

Posted on 12/13/2020 5:44:10 AM PST by Hojczyk

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1 posted on 12/13/2020 5:44:10 AM PST by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk
They just want it both ways.

The problem, she pointed out, is that a virus like COVID-19 can "quickly overwhelm that last 15%"

We are not overwhelmed.
But we could be.
Hospitals are pretty much at average capacity.
But that could change.
Everything is fine.
But disaster looms.

2 posted on 12/13/2020 5:47:29 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
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To: Hojczyk

“Capacity” is not just bed count, but staffing availability, also.


3 posted on 12/13/2020 5:50:24 AM PST by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.)
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To: Hojczyk

National bed numbers are irrelevant. No one is going to transfer someone from SoCal to Montana to find a bed. That is not how it works.

That said, the shortages are limited to isolated places in the country.

Here on the East Coast (MA) I know that one hospital in town has ample bed space and ICU space. The other hospital is getting tight in the ICU—but that there is still plenty of room in other Intensive Care Units that could be converted in a matter of hours.

Both hospitals are under a watch to stop elective inpatient surgery (knee replacements, hip replacements, etc) but elective outpatient work is still being scheduled.

The capacity issues are reflective of a “little higher than normal” flu season.

The morgues have one—maybe two bodies in each. This is “seasonally normal.”

I listen to the bed calls every morning over my wife’s shoulder. There is nowhere near the “angst” in the voices that I heard last April.

Right now the big focus is on vaccine distribution—which starts Tuesday in most of her hospitals (5 of them in the region.)


4 posted on 12/13/2020 5:52:07 AM PST by Vermont Lt (We have entered "Insanity Week." Act accordingly.)
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To: Hojczyk

Physicians and surgeons, if they were allowed
to run hospitals (as opposed to CCP, DNC, and F)
would deliver fast good care. and Truth.

BUT thanks to Romney and Obama,
it is gone ..... forever.


5 posted on 12/13/2020 5:55:30 AM PST by Diogenesis ("when a crime is unpunished, the world is unbalanced" )
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To: polymuser

Staffing is becoming more of an issue. Nursing call outs are running higher than it did last spring. This leads to burn out for those nurses who work more 12 hour shifts a week.

This could be problematic. But, it has been my experience that high call out numbers has more to do with management than it does with COVID. But, that is an opinion—maybe there are other issues.

But with OT, many nurses are easily approaching the mid $200k range for the year. Not bad if you want to work the hours. Traveling nurses make a LOT more than that.


6 posted on 12/13/2020 5:56:25 AM PST by Vermont Lt (We have entered "Insanity Week." Act accordingly.)
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To: Hojczyk

Once again its all Bullsh##


7 posted on 12/13/2020 5:58:54 AM PST by ronnie raygun ( Massive mistakes are made by arrogant fools; massive evils are committed by evil people.")
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To: Hojczyk

A member of our church’s 89-year old mother-in-law died a couple of days ago in the hospital. She had all kinds of other problems. They found the C-19 crap in a test, THUS she died of Covid 19, not the many other issues that had the poor soul down. But, she is with the LORD now and in a much better place than this wicked world.


8 posted on 12/13/2020 5:59:02 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Friends, are you prepared to meet the LORD? Do you KNOW Him? Time is running out.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

New York City was overwhelmed in spring because it was a novel virus and the population had no prior immunity. That won’t be the case this upcoming winter so we’ll be okay.


9 posted on 12/13/2020 5:59:26 AM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: ClearCase_guy

It is embarrassing to look back and revisit sailing the ships and building the ventilators (deathalators) at this point. What they have put our President and this country through is inexcusable. We reported around 2.4 million tests yesterday. Pretty much we are liquid in tests and PPE and masks and fear. More masks than you can shake a stick at. I guess maybe it is even embarrassing to look at us all the way back to yesterday.


10 posted on 12/13/2020 5:59:48 AM PST by Religion and Politics
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To: Diogenesis

Surgeons know how to operate. Aside from that, most of them couldn’t figure out how to get out of the parking lot. Seriously, we installed a new parking lot system and many of them had to be trained a few times.

Doctors make horrible administrators. Most doctors are not open to “new” ways of doing anything. While they are usually smart in clincal terms, they are not always the smartest guys in the room when it comes to how stuff should work—and they don’t like when that is evident.

That said, accountants make horrible administrators as well. There needs to be a Senior Leadership team that is focused on the success of the organization: A combination of high quality and high efficiency.

Anyone who thinks that Medicare reimbursement tables are not responsible for the way hospitals are run need to rethink their assumptions. We HAVE nationalized healthcare already—all of our insurance reimbursement rates are based on Medicare rates. EVERYTHING is managed to those rates.


11 posted on 12/13/2020 6:01:14 AM PST by Vermont Lt (We have entered "Insanity Week." Act accordingly.)
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To: RetiredArmy

It doesn’t matter what she died of. Her ass was in a bed.

Bed rates are not segregated in most hospitals.


12 posted on 12/13/2020 6:02:21 AM PST by Vermont Lt (We have entered "Insanity Week." Act accordingly.)
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To: Hojczyk
I've read stories that breathlessly report "...such and such hospital had just 4 open ICU beds..." or "...nearly 80% capacity..."

Perhaps the impression is that normally these beds are sitting around empty, collecting dust. Certainly the MSM would like to reinforce that notion. That makes their exaggerated and spun numbers seem all the more dire.

Yet in less than 2 minutes I was able to find a National Institute of Health study that reads:

...data has also shown that between 2000 and 2005, national ICU occupancy rates ranged from 65% and 68% (1). In 2010, the average national ICU occupancy rate was 66%...

So yes, ICUs running in the 70% capacity range is a bump up. But if you compare this to normal occupancy rates it is just a few percentage points increase. This makes sense. ICU beds are expensive. Certainly expensive to stay in, but simply creating and maintaining them is an expensive proposition. A medical facility is not going create dozens of beds/bays if they are going to stand empty most of the time. They do capacity/use planning.

The numbers tell me we (as a Country) could typically add that delta over and above normal rates twice more. In other words we could triple the effect of the pandemic and not run out of beds - on average. Sure, there are going to be hot spots that do (or have) run at 100%.

13 posted on 12/13/2020 6:04:22 AM PST by ThunderSleeps
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To: Vermont Lt

Same with a manufacturing operation. Don’t want a bean counter, salesman or HR at the helm. An engineer or project manager is better than those. (From experience.)


14 posted on 12/13/2020 6:08:11 AM PST by polymuser (A socialist is a communist without the power to take everything from their citizens...yet.)
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To: Hojczyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXgaG5bgNdE&feature=emb_logo
Houston doctors press conference on treatment of Covid BEFORE it becomes serious. Why isn’t this more prelavent? People are dying needlessly.


15 posted on 12/13/2020 6:09:35 AM PST by griswold3 (Democratic Socialism is Slavery by Mob Rule)
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To: Hojczyk; All
Iffa, woulda, coulda shoulda.

There'd be a Covid-19 crisis if there actually was a crisis!

It's the same old BS from these people. The sky's gonna fall. Might. Maybe. Possibly. Probably.

The corona virus "pandemic" is the medical version of climate change.

The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the socialist revolution.

16 posted on 12/13/2020 6:11:11 AM PST by HotHunt
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To: Hojczyk

Total deaths from ALL causes this year will be much the same as the total deaths from ALL causes in previous years.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3909868/posts


17 posted on 12/13/2020 6:11:32 AM PST by elpadre
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To: Hojczyk

Nationwide capacity doesn’t mean much if your local hospitals are full or near capacity.

Meanwhile, another Northeast Ohio hospital is making changes as patient beds become even more scarce.

“We’re pretty much maxed out on beds right now. We had to divert, close down the emergency room last night just to get a little bit of breathing period, which we were down for a few hours and then we re-opened,” said William Young, president and CEO of Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights.

He said in recent weeks, the hospital has seen a significant increase in COVID patients and people seeking treatment for other ailments.

“We restricted visitors starting today,” Young said.

Southwest General is the latest hospital in Northeast Ohio taking steps to avoid overwhelming its staff and capacity as the pandemic rages on.

“Last week, we started halting some of the elective in-patient surgery volume that’s gonna require a night or two stay overnight in the hospital,” Young said.


18 posted on 12/13/2020 6:13:08 AM PST by EBH (God Save the Republic. God is in Control. God knows what He is doing. )
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To: Vermont Lt

You have a foul mouth pal speaking of the lady like that. Go the hell away. If you have nothing but smart assed remarks to make, go the hell away. I don’t have time for your crap, asshole.


19 posted on 12/13/2020 6:15:19 AM PST by RetiredArmy (Friends, are you prepared to meet the LORD? Do you KNOW Him? Time is running out.)
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To: RetiredArmy

You ridicule for language. And then you use worse.

You are old and silly.

Go tilt at other windmills. I used to wipe people like you off my shoe.


20 posted on 12/13/2020 6:17:08 AM PST by Vermont Lt (We have entered "Insanity Week." Act accordingly.)
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