‘Fragile’ health care system on Oahu adds staffing in wake of key ER closure
ERs islandwide are often over-capacity and solutions are hard to find. Hospitals across Oahu are bringing in additional staff to handle an influx of patients, following the closure of Wahiawa General Hospital. The hospital shuttered both its emergency room and inpatient unit last week due to maintenance issues. The closure has led to increased demand for care, forcing patients to travel to other ERs far away. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii has reported that the health care system is at a fragile point, with additional staff being brought in to manage the patient load. However, there are no immediate plans to reopen the in-patient unit.
Published : a month ago by Allyson Blair in Health
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hospitals across Oahu are bringing in additional staff to accommodate an influx of patients they wouldn’t typically see. This comes after Wahiawa General Hospital shuttered both its emergency room and inpatient unit last week.
According to Honolulu EMS, the emergency room at Wahiawa General saw an average of 50 patients every day. Since the closure, those people have been forced to go to other ERs in communities that are farther away, many of which are already bursting at the seams.
Indeed, no matter where you are on Oahu, the ERs are very busy.
“In the middle of the day and in the afternoon is when they’re swelling up: 200% capacity, 300% capacity, 400% capacity,” said Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Jim Ireland.
It’s a reality some of the island’s hospitals have been dealing with for years.
But now the healthcare system is even more stressed following the unanticipated closure Wahiawa General — Central Oahu’s only emergency room — after its HVAC system failed.
It’s the latest in a string of crippling maintenance issues to plague the aging facility.
If you live anywhere from Waimea Bay on the North Shore down through Wahiawa, Millilani or Waipio, Wahiawa General used to be the closest hospital. But since the termination of nearly all its services earlier this month, the sick and injured are forced to travel farther for care.
The next two closest hospitals are the Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu and Pali Momi. Both are about 10 miles farther in either direction.
Now, those facilities are taking the brunt of an influx of patients they wouldn’t normally see.
HNN Investigates asked the head of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hilton Raethel, if Oahu’s health care system is at a tipping point. “It’s very, very fragile,” Raethel said.
“We are having to manage it very, very carefully.”
He went on to say hospitals are now bringing in additional staff to help manage the patient load. Raethel said while everyone is receiving care oftentimes there aren’t enough beds.
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“We have to adjust and find a place for them to sit or lay down and wait to be seen while they’re being treated,” he said.
A review of the Hospital Capacity System last Tuesday showed the emergency room at Queen’s West hit 350% of capacity. That means there were only enough beds for 1 out of 3 patients.
• None Experts: Major changes at Wahiawa General will have health care impacts islandwide
• None Central Oahu loses its only ER with no timeline on when it will reopen
“At that point, we look at going to other ERs that aren’t as busy,” said Ireland.
That means a farther drive in situations where every minute counts. And even that doesn’t guarantee an open bed. About 8:30 p.m. Sunday, every emergency room on Oahu was full and operating over capacity, except Kahuku, according to data provided by EMS.
On April 2, the Queens Health System will become the new owner of Wahiawa General.
Raethel says its engineers are currently working on repairs in an effort to get the facility’s emergency room operational as quickly as possible.
However, there are no immediate plans to reopen the hospitals in-patient unit — a decision that’s not sitting well with some community leaders.
“We know already that’s wholly inadequate,” said state Rep. Amy Perruso.
Perruso says Central Oahu and the North Shore are aging communities that already have a lack access to care. “This will just make it more intense,” she said.
Residents will have the opportunity hear both hear from Queen’s as well as voice their concerns at neighborhood board meetings.
The first one is Wednesday at Millilani High School, starting at at 7:30 p.m. Perruso is also urging the hospital to host a town hall dedicated specifically to this topic. So far, no date has been set.