By EMS1 Staff
FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Patients transported by ambulances were turned away from a hospital Monday and Tuesday night.
Due to an increased volume of patients, the hospital worked with EMS providers to decide whether a patient could be taken elsewhere or required immediate attention.
“We care for any critical patient,” Katherine Vergos, the vice president and chief nursing officer at St. Agnes Hospital, told the Fond du Lac Reporter. “There is never a time where a critical patient does not come [to St. Agnes] … There may be other patients that we divert, or ask to take to another hospital if we are at our capacity. But we always have that conversation first with our EMS providers.”
The hospital alerted EMS providers Monday night, stating there was a “diversion” until further notice; the notice was still in effect as of Tuesday.
Should the hospital continue to remain at full-capacity, EMS providers will transport patients to the hospital of their choice.
“This isn’t uncommon for many hospitals during this time of year,” Vergos said. “In fact, there are many other hospitals within our region that experience bed capacity frequently during the winter months.”