Dartmouth Health addresses emergency department capacity concerns

As respiratory virus season continues, simultaneously with a nationwide shortage of healthcare workers, hospitals across the region and country are reaching patient capacity in their emergency departments (ED). Similar to other medical centers across New England, Dartmouth Health’s Cheshire Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) are no exception, seeing ED overcrowding for the last several weeks.

Dartmouth Health CEO and President Joanne M. Conroy, MD, recently recorded a video message addressing DHMC’s capacity concerns, which mirror those seen at Cheshire. While ED staff will continue to prioritize patients who are most urgently in need of care—such as people experiencing a heart attack or stroke, or who are critically injured—Conroy said that patients with less pressing healthcare concerns coming to the ED should expect extended wait times.

“If you must be admitted to the hospital, there are waits, sometimes for up to 24 hours, for inpatient beds,” Conroy said. “I understand—and everyone who is working hard to care for you understands—that these wait times are very frustrating. Please know that we’re working hard to address these capacity issues. Providing you and your family the high-quality care you need, when you need it most, is our highest priority.”

Steve Ahnen, President of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, released a statement relative to hospital capacity on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

“This high level of demand is being brought on by increasing levels of flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses,” he said in the statement. “Added to an already high level of demand, workforce shortages and a continued inability to discharge patients due to constraints being experienced in long-term care and home care, patients across the state may see longer wait times in the emergency department. Patients with acute, critical illnesses will always be triaged and cared for immediately, but that may mean that patients whose condition is not as acute may wait longer than they or their care team members would want.

“The New Hampshire Hospital Association and its members and partners encourage everyone to remain vigilant about basic health care and hygiene, such as regular handwashing to stay healthy. Evidence-based public health measures such as masking, testing, vaccines, and other mitigation methods are still important tools against COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. There is no one solution that can completely eliminate the risk of spreading infections, but when layered together, these interventions can have a significant impact on the rate of infections, hospitalizations and deaths in New Hampshire, and ultimately on the capacity challenges facing our health care system today.”

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not hesitate to call 911 or go to your nearest ED. If you are uncertain whether you are experiencing a medical emergency, the Cheshire ED is open 24/7, and medical screening exams are available for anyone who arrives at our ED.