When Christina Anderson's mother started having chest pains in October, they rushed to the nearest emergency room in their hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa. Because of her mother's ovarian cancer diagnosis, Anderson assumed they would be seen within a reasonable time. Instead, their trip became a nine-hour odyssey.
Hospitals across the United States are overwhelmed. The combination of a swarm of respiratory illnesses RSV, coronavirus and the flu staffing shortages and nursing home closures has sparked the state of distress visited upon the already overburdened health care system. And experts believe the problem will deteriorate further in coming months. More than a half-million people in the health care and social services sectors quit their positions in September evidence, in part, of burnout associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the American Medical Association says 1 in 5 doctors plan on leaving the field within two years.
The combination of a swarm of respiratory illnesses, staffing shortages and nursing home closures has sparked the state of distress visited upon the already overburdened health-care system.