Influx of patients prompts PHE to move to delayed treatment status
ST. MARYS - An influx of patients prompted Penn Highlands Elk in St. Marys to move to a delayed treatment status on Tuesday morning.
A Penn Highlands Healthcare (PHH) communication manager stated that after speaking with Chief Penn Highlands Elk Nursing Officer Christine Garner, she explained the hospital encountered an influx of patients and in order to practice effective capacity management, there may be delays.
Garner also noted that hospitals everywhere are seeing an influx of sick patients this time of year. While a specific illness or ailment was not cited, it was noted that patients are presenting with different types of sicknesses and not one common complaint.
A social media post by Elk County EMS at 11:15 a.m. stated PHE’s Emergency Department was no longer at condition Black Status but on a delayed treatment advisory.
In the medical community, a Code Black or condition black status is a newer emergency level alert typically describing an emergency department which is overcrowded or lacking resources.
This type of alert is typically declared by a hospital bed manager and is called when certain criteria are met and serves as a last resort to preserve resource allocation such as lack of bed capacities, staffing shortages and more.
In hospital Emergency Departments (ED), a triage system is followed to prioritize the most severely ill or injured patients, according to information provided by PHH. Even people who arrive at the ED by ambulance, who do not present with lifethreatening conditions or injuries, may have to wait long periods to be evaluated and treated. From animal bites and earaches to sprains and minor burns, primary care providers (PCPs) and walk-in clinics typically can see patients, treat them and send them home faster than at a hospital ED.
Penn Highlands QCare walk-in clinics, located in St. Marys, Ridgway, Emporium, Brookville, Clearfield, DuBois, Punxsutawney, Philipsburg, Clarion and Huntingdon, are considered an extension of primary care offices and are billed as a physician office visit which in many instances the copay is lower than for an Emergency Department visit copay.