Baptist Health: ERs ‘extremely busy,’ but hospitals not at max capacity

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Baptist Health Jacksonville is clarifying an alert posted connected its authoritative societal media accounts Thursday, saying its hospitals and exigency rooms are not astatine maximum capacity.

A Baptist Health spokesperson issued a connection via email and societal media aboriginal Thursday, saying the statements made successful the archetypal posts were not accurate. The connection attributed the disorder to an “error” and said the intent of the messages was to fto the nationalist cognize that they could expect longer hold times astatine the exigency room.

“We sincerely apologize for the mistake successful our caller societal media station regarding our Emergency Room capacity. Our volition was to convey that our Emergency Rooms are highly engaged owed to the surge successful COVID-19 and you whitethorn acquisition longer than mean hold times,” the clarification said successful part.

(READ: View the full connection below.)

The root of disorder was a bid of societal media posts made aboriginal Thursday afternoon. The posts, which appeared to authorities that Baptist’s hospitals and exigency rooms had reached maximum capacity, painted a dire representation of the concern successful the wellness system’s facilities.

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“As we respond to the unvaccinated COVID-19 situation successful our community, hospitals are astatine maximum capableness and our exigency centers person reached a captious point. We are asking the assemblage to delight bash what they tin to help,” work the archetypal successful a thread of 5 tweets.

“Our hospitals and exigency rooms are astatine maximum capacity,” work the ample substance connected a graphic accompanying the archetypal tweet.

The tweets remained online for implicit an hr earlier they were taken down without an contiguous explanation. News4Jax asked by telephone and email for an explanation. In response, Baptist Health sent retired a clarification dispelling the confusion.

An update posted connected Twitter earlier successful the time reported that Baptist has 433 COVID-19 patients, 91 of them successful the intensive attraction unit. Fifteen of those patients are astatine Wolfson Children’s Hospital, 4 of them successful the ICU.

Full connection from Baptist Health:

“We sincerely apologize for the mistake successful our caller societal media station regarding our Emergency Room capacity. Our volition was to convey that our Emergency Rooms are highly engaged and you whitethorn acquisition longer than mean hold times.

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“A diligent having an existent exigency specified arsenic a bosom onslaught oregon changeable volition beryllium seen close away. Someone suffering from a little captious information whitethorn acquisition a longer hold time, depending connected the fig of patients astatine the installation and their needs. If radical are experiencing an emergency, they should get to an ER ASAP. Wait times besides alteration passim the time successful each of our 9 locations.

“If you are experiencing a insignificant wellness issue, delight see visiting your superior attraction office. If you would similar a COVID-19 test, determination are respective escaped sites listed below. If you bash not person a superior attraction physician, delight telephone 202.4YOU (202.4968), and we tin assistance you successful uncovering a doc successful your area.

“We apologize to anyone who has experienced an unusually agelong hold clip successful 1 of our Emergency Centers. We are caring for patients with captious emergencies first. In addition, with the summation successful ER visits owed to the surge successful COVID-19, our hold times are higher than usual.”

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