Montgomery (AL) hospitals are down to 1 ICU bed and sending patients to Birmingham
Hospitals in Montgomery and Prattville have a total of one ICU bed remaining and are now being forced to send acute care patients to Birmingham for treatment.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said he called a news conference to reveal the sobering situation at the urging of overwhelmed area doctors, and with the Memorial Day weekend ahead. It’s a situation that has had a ripple effect on rural communities around Alabama’s Capital City.
“Many people in Montgomery hospitals are not from Montgomery,” Reed said. “They’re suffering because they don’t have the rural health care system in place that they need.
“Right now, if you’re from Montgomery and you need an ICU bed, you’re in trouble. If you’re from central Alabama and you need an ICU bed, you may not be able to get one. … We don’t want to lose anyone — any life — because we don’t have the resources to treat them in this community.”
There were 950 confirmed coronavirus cases in Montgomery County as of Wednesday morning and 25 COVID-19 related deaths. The county’s total of confirmed cases rose 45% May 1-7, 46% May 7-14, and 20% May 14-19, Reed said.
Meanwhile, hospitals are nearing capacity. Baptist East, Baptist South and Prattville Baptist Hospital were all out of ICU beds. Jackson Hospital had one bed available as of Wednesday morning, Reed said.
https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2020/05/20/montgomery-down-one-icu-bed-sending-virus-patients-birmingham/5227449002/
