Bellingham hospital asks for help to keep its ER clear for patients who need it most
St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham is asking Whatcom County residents with non-emergent medical needs to seek medical assistance from somewhere other than the hospital’s emergency room, and COVID-19 is only partly to blame.
The hospital, in a news release Thursday, July 29, asked residents who are not experiencing “serious or potentially life-threatening injury or illness” — such as severe burns; serious cuts; sudden blurred vision, dizziness, weakness or loss of coordination or balance; chest pain; difficulty breathing or severe abdominal pain — to first seek care from their primary care physician or a drop-in clinic rather than heading to the emergency room.
Doing so, the hospital release stated, would “preserve the facility’s emergency room for those patients seeking care for critical health issues.”
Vulnerable groups with serious medical issues, such as infants younger than 3 months old with a fever, also should seek treatment in the emergency room.
The reason for the request, hospital spokesperson Hilary Andrade told The Bellingham Herald in an email with the release, is that emergency rooms across Northwest Washington are experiencing higher than normal patient volumes.
Since April, the emergency room in Bellingham has been seeing an extra 20 patients per day, returning to pre-pandemic daily levels of approximately 175 to 185 patients, hospital spokesperson Bev Mayhew told The Herald in another email.
As Whatcom and the rest of the state brace for a fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase of COVID-related patients is only part of the reason Bellingham’s ER has been so busy.
“A recent uptick in patient volumes in the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Emergency Department can be attributed to a variety of factors in addition to COVID-19, including delayed routine care during the pandemic and injuries from people involved in more outdoor activities,” Mayhew wrote.
As of Friday, July 30, the hospital reported to The Herald that it had admitted and was treating 10 COVID-19 patients. While that is the highest number the hospital has reported since it had 11 July 5, it is still well below the pandemic high of 31 reported Jan. 29 and again June 7-8.
Overall, the hospital has previously told The Herald that it is licensed and has enough beds and staff to treat 241 total patients.
Statewide, the Washington State Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard reports approximately 8.8 COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people over the past two weeks of complete data (July 10-23) — double Whatcom County’s rate of 4.4, according to data analysis by The Herald. The state’s rate has increased slightly from early July, when it was below 7.0, but it is still well below the peak rates of 20-plus from late December and early January.
But with effects of the expected fifth wave just beginning to be felt, PeaceHealth decided now was the time to ask for the community’s help in keeping its emergency room clear for those who need it most.
“It’s helpful to keep in mind that the Emergency Department is best reserved for people needing care for serious or life-threatening problems,” Mayhew wrote. “PeaceHealth, and other area providers, offer Urgent Care or Same Day clinics for the treatment for more common illnesses and minor injuries.”
Where should I go?
PeaceHealth created a simple online guide to help you decide where you should go to see treatment, available at peacehealth.org/healthy-you/where-should-i-go-when-i-need-care.
