Page 10 - Eric Dickson News Today

A beloved pizzeria owner in Brimfield, Mass., had COVID-19 and needed dialysis, but it wasnt available at the hospital where he died. The health system is "breaking down," a hospital CEO says.

Swim and dive team raises funds with polar plunge

BOSTON — As hospitals battle a record surge of COVID-19 infections, physicians are urging the state to create a system to track empty beds in emergency rooms to ease capacity

Rona Tsantinis-Roy says doctors suggested her father might have survived if he’d been transferred to a larger hospital. Typically, that’s what happens when a patient at a community hospital needs more specialized care. But with hospitals full or nearly full across the state, transfers are harder and harder to arrange. Some patients are dying while they wait.

This week, the entire northeastern region of the state had a mere five available ICU beds and five regular hospital beds, according to DPH data.

Massachusetts hospitals say they're in an "invisible" crisis as COVID-19 patients from the omicron surge pile up on the healthcare system.

"Every corner of our healthcare system is gasping for air. Every unit and hallway is full, procedures are being cancelled," a hospital association stated.

Meanwhile, the "Stop the Spread" mass testing site Worcester will be closed Tuesday due to cold temperatures.

I warned you that things would get even worse in 2022, and that is exactly what is happening. Throughout the latter stages of 2022, I documented how basic services were breaking down all across the country, but this was a trend that was largely...

We take listener calls and questions with Dr. Shira Doron, attending physician, and Hospital Epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, and Associate Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, and Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, based in Central Massachusetts.