Local hospitals have been experiencing unprecedented volumes of patients over the past few weeks, according to health care officials.
Both Strong Memorial and Highland Hospitals have reported being over 120% of their capacity. As of 10am Wednesday morning, officials said Rochester General Hospital was at 103% capacity and Unity Hospital was at 106%.
Officials said it's due to a spike in flu cases and difficulty finding nursing home placements for some patients.
“Our faculty and staff are doing heroic work,” said Dr. Michael Apostolakos, chief medical officer at Strong. “We're taking care of patients in less than comfortable areas.”
Apostolakos said the hospitals have 115 patients awaiting a nursing home bed and as a result some individuals are receiving care in the hallways.
“We've opened up as many capacity beds as we can to take care of the community,” he said. “And we'll continue to take care of the community.”
He said if people are severely ill, they will be seen rapidly and get the care they need. But he warns that people with illness that are less severe could face prolonged waits in the emergency room.
Dr. Paul Graman, URMC infectious disease specialist, said we are currently in the peak of flu season, and he anticipates things will begin to plateau and decline soon.
“Some years of the flu are just a lot worse than others, and we don't always understand why that is,” Graman said.
The number of flu cases is significantly higher this year compared to last year, he added, and could be because the flu strains tend to “drift” each year.
“They change slightly from year to year, so that the level of immunity that people have in the community may not always be the same every year,” Graman said.
Both Graman and Apostolakos are asking the community to help relieve some of the burden on the hospital by getting vaccinated. If you're not severely ill, officials request using other health care options like urgent care, telehealth or a primary care physician.
