Health & Fitness
Some Montgomery Hospitals Diverting Patients Due To High Demand
Due to a shortage of critical care beds, some county hospitals are temporarily diverting ambulances to other facilities, an official said.
BETHESDA, MD — A number of Montgomery County hospitals have been temporarily diverting ambulances to other facilities in recent weeks, due to a shortage of critical care beds, a fire official said.
County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer tweeted on Wednesday that area hospitals have been operating under "Blue Alert" status since April 25.
A jurisdiction may declare "Blue Alert" status when its EMS system is "temporarily taxed to its limits in providing pre hospital care and ambulance transportation due to extraordinary situations such as snow, icing, flooding or other circumstances that contribute to high demand for ambulance service," according to the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems.
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In Montgomery County, the state's most populous jurisdiction, some hospitals are operating near capacity and reporting a shortage of resources. While most critical beds are full, Piringer says the emergency room patient load is manageable.
(7a 5/6) @MontgomeryCoMD @MCFRS_EMIHS @MoCoDHHS Montgomery County continues operating under Blue Alert - hospitals are busy, critical care beds mostly full, ERs currently manageable https://t.co/NlozTa2Vht
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 6, 2020
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