Fresno County hospitals exceed maximum capacity during holiday season
Officials say they've seen a rise in RSV and COVID-19 cases in children this month.
FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Several Valley hospitals are on the brink of bursting with too many patients.
On Monday, the Fresno County Public Health Department and Central California Emergency Medical Services shared that Fresno County hospitals are overwhelmed due to patients and people seeking medical services for non-urgent medical problems.
"The hospitals have been experiencing capacities of 130% or 140% percent capacity for a number of months now, and it continues to rise. It's a big concern," explained Mato Parker with Central California Emergency Medical Services.
Health officials estimate current wait times for an emergency room visit could exceed 10 hours for non-emergencies.
Although there is no wait time for how quickly medics respond to emergency calls, Parker says first responders are waiting up to two hours to drop off patients at the hospital.
"Reserve the minor illness and the minor injuries for urgent cares, or telehealth or even their primary care physician," Parker said.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health says some hospitals are holding patients in emergency rooms for up to four days, and with little available space, they're also using non-patient areas like conference rooms.
ABC30 Insider video shows a very busy Valley Children's Hospital.
On Saturday, beds were lined up along the hallway.
Doctors at the hospital say the spike in patients has been going on for a while.
"Since last month, we've seen a 17 percent increase in our emergency department visits. What that means is we're seeing about 330 patients every single day in our emergency department," said Dr. Mariel Marquez, a pediatrician at Valley Children's Hospital.
Marquez says she's seeing a rise in RSV and COVID-19 cases in children this month.
"Previous units that were closed are now being opened. Our pediatrics ICU is seeing a lot of these respiratory complications as well, unfortunately," said Dr. Marquez.
If possible, Dr. Marquez asks people to steer clear of the hospital.
You will save yourself time and also avoid being exposed to other illnesses during your hospital visit.
For information and a list of resources provided by the Fresno County Health Department, click here.
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