Current state of emergency care in Georgia

[BennyMG1]

If you are currently well, I encourage you strongly to stay that way. If you are going to be working or out driving, take care, be vigilant and stay safe. Keep your situational awareness on heightened alert. You don’t want to be going to an ER anytime soon unless you are seriously dying.

   For the last three weeks (with the exception of Christmas Eve) nearly every ER in the state had been at capacity with very long waiting times if you are not critical. All of our big hospitals in middle Ga. are on diversion. We actually transferred a patient to Jacksonville, Florida this morning because they couldn’t find an ICU bed (I think it was neuro icu) in Georgia.

   It’s my understanding that many hospitals have rooms they can’t utilize due to staffing shortages.

   There’s also the issue of supplies. Some supplies are on backorder and others are in short supply.

Stay well my friends.

[Surveyor1]

Hey BennyMG1 thanks for the advice!  Are the ER backing up because of this “flu bug” going around?  I am on the back side of the nastiest head cold I’ve ever had.  Never had a fever, was able to keep out of my chest but the sinuses and upper throat had a lot of drainage.  Usually Alka Seltzer cold every 4 hours would dry it up but no sir, I had to switch to Benadryl to at least control.  I thought I was getting a handle on it Until 8 days ago everything turned green, the throat got really sore and the sinus pressure felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my sockets when I coughed.  I decided that I may have a secondary bacterial infection so I started a 10 day regimen of amoxicillin 3 times a day.  Probably a good call as the nasty green stuff changed color back to normal sludge and the severe sinus pressure started decreasing in about 3 days. Fortunately I had a great supply of mucus relief (guaifenesin) that I started taking every 4 hours and it helped thin a lot of this junk out.  I also huffed steam 3 times a day from my Vicks Steam Inhaler (buy one!).  Things are much better but this is the first head cold I ever had that lasted over 2 weeks! 

We do everything within our power to keep our immune system charged up.  The D,C, Zinc, Quercetin, pony paste, good diet, plenty of sleep and even exercise daily.  Don’t know what we have but I hate to think what might have happened if we were deficient in any of our major vitamins?  2023 is started out on a bad note and I do believe the storm clouds are brewing for not only our country but the whole world!  Tik Tok Tik Tok Tik Tok…

[Surveyor1]

Btw - after taking the amoxicillin and pony paste, my fins and scales have never looked better and I definitely don’t have worms😳🤔😎…

[RWS]

Try scheduling elective surgery !  I still do not have a time & date and have been working on it for three weeks.  Glad it is not an emergency.  I think one of the hold ups is the Dr. wants to keep me overnight and there is no room at the inn.

[nj_m715]

tis but a small price to pay
I'm so glad we fired all the semi fascist uvaxxed staff

the world is now a better and safer place

[Surveyor1]

Try scheduling elective surgery !  I still do not have a time & date and have been working on it for three weeks.  Glad it is not an emergency.  I think one of the hold ups is the Dr. wants to keep me overnight and there is no room at the inn.

I had to wait 2 years for knee replacement surgery because they cancelled elective surgeries due to CCP flu…

[BennyMG1]

Not really flu, although there’s a lot going around. The issue I’m seeing is the aging baby boomers (lots of them) and stupid millennials that don’t know what Tylenol is. I’m going to stop calling them millennials and start calling them The Idiocracy Generation

[nj_m715]

while not GA
this isn't going to help things

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/9000-nyc-nurses-preparing-strike-if-no-tentative-agreements-reached-hospitals-tonight

[BennyMG1]

Most nurses would forego higher wages in favor of higher staffing levels. The problem is, a lot of nurses left the profession during Covid. A large percentage of those left, burned out during Covid. Top that with the entitlement and rudeness of a lot of patients as well as anger misdirected at nurses and you’ve got a formula for disaster.

And let’s not forget the massive shortage of EMTs and paramedics. Their pay is pitiful. Many work two full time jobs just to make ends meet. Many of you may remember the days when the “ambulance” was a hearse painted white and you got loaded up and taken to the hospital with no prehospital care. When you call an ambulance, you need to realize that a lot of those guys and girls are only making $9 to $13 per hour and they run their butts off these days. It’s not like when I worked EMS thirty years ago when we might run two or three calls a night….they may run eight or more calls a shift these days. When you call the ambulance because you’re having a heart attack, you may have to mail because they are out transporting an 18 year old with a headache for a week to the hospital.