The University of Vermont Medical Center reports it has experienced over a month of unusually high demand. This has led to increased wait times for hospital beds and delays for transfers from other institutions, according to intensive care doctor and UVM Health Network Regional Transport Medical Director, Ryan Clouser.
"We've noticed quite an unexpected surge of patient flow and volume that's been a challenge to keep up with," Clouser said. "It's been high, which makes us concerned, because we're not even at the point of the year where we really start worrying about really big surges like flu season, for example," he said.
Clouser said critically ill patients who need to be transfered to UVM Medical Center will be admitted immediately, but other transfer patients could have to wait up to a day.
To make more room, Clouser said the hospital will send patients home or to community hospitals when that's safe.
Clouser said he does not know of any trends driving the increased demand, but believes other hospitals across the region are experiencing a similar spike in demand.
