ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996 TAG: 9611010069
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
It was business as usual Thursday at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, with the facility accepting all patients as usual, officials said.
For about 24 hours, beginning late Tuesday, Memorial was turning away patients. Memorial continued to accept head-injury victims, and Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital took obstetric and pediatric emergencies, but all other patients were directed to a competing hospital.
The hospital told emergency medical service crews to take those patients to Columbia Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem. All told, seven patients were sent to Lewis-Gale during the diversion period.
The Carilion facilities' emergency rooms simply had as much as they could handle, and Memorial did not have any more beds available, said Dr. Dick Surrusco, medical director of emergency services for the two facilities.
It was the second time this year that the facilities have had to turn away patients, he said. Memorial's census is 10 percent ahead of the same time last year, and its patients are "quite ill," which lengthens the bed "turnaround" time, he said.
Surrusco said a full house usually happens only during flu season, but that wasn't the case this week.
He also said that rescue squads were updated hourly about bed availability during the diversion period.
The hospitals got a lot of calls Thursday from people who use Carilion facilities and were worried that they wouldn't be accommodated if they became ill, said spokeswoman Shirley Holland.
Lack of staffing has been an issue for some Carilion Roanoke Memorial employees who have met recently with two unions, the Kentucky Nurses Association and the Service Employees Union International.
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