PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Help is on the way for local hospitals that are overwhelmed with patients, but some are saying the help didn’t come soon enough.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued an executive order Wednesday that expands upon a previous executive order she issued in November. This latest order approves $25 million to address hospital staffing shortages.
Both orders are meant to help health care workers as they navigate a surge of patients suffering from various respiratory illnesses.
Brown’s promise of incoming assistance comes as hospitals have patients waiting on gurneys in hallways for an inpatient bed and the ERs are full — but Oregon nurses say that promise falls short at the worst time, calling the current situation a crisis.
In a press conference on Thursday, the Oregon Health Authority said they have more than 100 nurses and respiratory therapists coming into local hospitals next week. The state will be picking up the tab for those coming from outside Oregon, similar to what happened during the COVID-19 surges.
As they’re already dealing with an unprecedented number of RSV cases leaving children in the ICU, doctors say they’ve seen an influx of adults requiring care as well. This has led to hospitals across the region operating above capacity.
“We are experiencing very, very long wait times for the less urgent cases in our Emergency Department as we prioritize seeing these people by the level of urgency that their complaint requires,” Dr. Raymond Moreno from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center said. “EDs are very crowded right now.”
The Oregon Nurses Association is asking hospitals to postpone all elective surgeries in order to ease the load on nurses who are now having to care for more patients than is standard. The ONA would also like more help available at a quicker rate, claiming that the 100 additional people will not be enough.
When asked about bringing back members of the Oregon National Guard to help hospitals the way they did during the pandemic, the OHA says they’re only seeking licensed and trained professionals at this time.
Meanwhile, medical professionals are asking Oregonians to do their part to stay healthy by getting a flu shot and a COVID booster if they are able. The head of Randall Children’s Hospital said out of all her recent patients, not one admitted had received a flu vaccine.