ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Hospitals in the Rochester area are already over capacity and flu, COVID and RSV season is approaching.
There are about 900 beds at Strong Memorial Hospital, but on any given day, more than 1,000 patients are being treated there.
The Finger Lakes region has the fewest hospital beds per capita of any region in New York state, “we have about 1.6 hospital beds for every 1,000 residents, nationally, that number is about 2.3,” explains Dr. Michael Apostolakos, the chief medical officer at Strong and Highland Hospitals.
Dr. Apostolakos says they are utilizing all their affiliate hospitals to load balance its system. “We have eight excellent hospitals that can care for patients, and we work with our emergency department to assess each patient, and we may discuss with patients that their illness would be better treated at a facility that has a ready bed,” Dr. Apostolakos says.
Rochester Regional Health is also urging people to try their doctor first, then urgent care, and only come to the emergency room if you think it could be a life or death situation.
“Really it’s about choosing the most appropriate setting that helps preserve our very strained emergency resources and ensures that people that have true emergencies get the care that they need,” says Dr. Leslie Wong, the chief clinical officer at RRH.
And even if you do need the emergency room, “unfortunately, we’ve had to keep patients in the emergency room longer than we need and it’s not as comfortable down there for our patients, but we bring the care with staff that the patients need in those areas,” explains Dr. Apostolakos.
Both major health systems now offer virtual urgent care as well. If a patient cannot get into their doctor, they might try that option, and the provider will let them know if they need to be seen in person.
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