THE ONGOING NURSES
STRIKE--
IMPACTING OTHER LOCAL
HOSPITALS IN A BIG
WAY.........
(HE)
OUR CAMERAS
CAPTURED THIS "STAFF
HUDDLE" AT KENT
HOSPITAL.
IT'S SOMETHING THEY DO
DAILY--BUT
TODAY--THEY'RE BEING
FORCED TO STEP IT
UP--DUE TO AN INCREASE
OF PATIENTS.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
CONSUMER REPORTER
SUSAN CAMPBELL--
CONTINUES OUR
COVERAGE--
AND HAS MORE NOW ON
HOW AREA HOSPITAL
STAFF ARE COPING.
(SC)
ACCORDING TO THE
RHODE ISLAND
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH..
ALL LOCAL HOSPITALS
HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE
IN PATIENTS.. IN THE PAST
TWO DAYS.
AROUND 4 O'CLOCK THIS
AFTERNOON... WE
LEARNED THE MIRIAM
HOSPITAL WENT ON
DIVERSON... MEANING
AMBULANCES ARE BEING
DIRECTED TO TAKE
PATIENTS TO OTHER
HOSPITALS.
THIS IS FOLLOWING A 20
PERCENT INCREASE IN
PATIENT VOLUME AT
MIRIAM SINCE THE STRIKE.
THE AMBULANCE BAY FILLED
UP... AS A STEADY STREAM OF
FIRST RESPONDERS DROPPED
OFF PATIENTS AT MIRIAM
HOSPITAL...
he said it was chaos.
DIANE PELLEGRINO'S HUSBAND
IS IN STAGE FOUR RENAL
FAILURE.
HE USUALLY GOES TO RHODE
ISLAND HOSPITAL.. BUT WAS
DIVERTED TO MIRIAM BECAUSE
OF THE STRIKE.
it was a little unnerving.
MIKE FISKE WAS ALSO
BROUGHT TO MIRIAM -- TO BE
TREATED FOR INJURIES HE
SUFFERED IN A CAR ACCIDENT.
there's a lot of people in
there, but
Miriam is handling it so well
that it
doesn't seem anywhere near as
bad
as it could
KENT HOSPITAL IS ALSO SEEING
AN INCREASE IN PATIENTS.
THERE'S USUALLY ONE OF
THESE SAFETY HUDDLES EACH
DAY...
NOW - THERE ARE ARE TWO.
we added the additional one to
make sure all the latest
information
was being shared given the
strike.
JIM BEARDSWORTH IS A
SPOKESPERSON FOR CARE
NEW ENGLAND.
HE SAYS.. ON A TYPICAL JULY
DAY... KENT HOSPITAL WOULD
HAVE ABOUT 160 TO 170 IN-
PATIENTS.
ON MONDAY... THE HOSPITAL
HAD 210 INPATIENTS.
we've been looking at this now
for a
couple weeks so the staffing
obviously is something we need
to
make sure is appropriate w/ the
volume. In places where
necessary,
we're making sure the staff is
there
to support that need.
(SC)
SINCE THE STRIKE...
BEARDSWORTH SAYS
BUTLER HOSPITAL'S
OVERALL ACTIVITY IS UP
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU
STEPH ---
SINCE THE STRIKE
BEGAN, WE'VE BEEN
TRACKING THE IMPACT AT
OTHER AREA HOSPITALS.
(MM)
AS WE REPORTED AT FIVE
--- MIRIAM HOSPITAL'S E-R
WENT ON DIVERSON LATE
THIS AFTERNOON.
AND OTHER HOSPITALS
ARE DEALING WITH AN
INCREASE IN PATIENTS.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER SUSAN
CAMPBELL, CONTINUES
OUR IN-DEPTH
COVERAGE.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR
CARE NEW ENGLAND
HOSPITALS TELLS ME...
THIS IS A FLUID SITUATION.
HE SAYS... STAFFING IS UP
TO HANDLE THE EXTRA
PATIENTS.
AND SO FAR... PATIENT
VOLUME HAS BEEN
MANAGEABLE.
this is unbelieveable how you're
all
stepping up..
AT KENT HOSPITAL... WE WERE
THERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON'S
STAFF SAFETY HUDDLE.
USUALLY... THERE'S ONE OF
THESE MEETINGS A DAY.
BECAUSE OF THE STRIKE AT
RHODE ISLAND AND HASBRO
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS...
THERE ARE TWO.
when something happens at one
place, especially w/ healthcare
and
w/ the hopitals, there is a
ripple
effect.
ACCORDING TO THE RHODE
ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH... ACROSS THE STATE...
HOSPITALS HAVE ALL SEEN AN
INCREASE IN PATIENTS SINCE
THE STRIKE STARTED AT
RHODE ISLAND AND HASBRO
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS.
across care new England, we're
def
seeing busier than usually but
still
very manageable.
LIFESPAN'S MIRIAM HOSPITAL IS
REPORTING A 20% INCREASE IN
PATIENTS..
LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON...
THE INFLUX FORCED THAT
HOSPITAL TO DIVERT
AMBULANCES TO OTHER
FACILITIES.
MIKE FISKE WAS JUST
DISCHARGED FROM MIRIAM
FOLLOWING A CAR ACCIDENT
MONDAY.
an awful lot of people in the
hallways and they were
handling
it. :
my nurse was on for 16 hours.
That's a really long shift! I've
done
some 12 hours - and these
people
are taking care of peoples'
lives. :
HERE ARE SOME OF THE
NUMBERS..
ON A TYPICAL JULY DAY AT
KENT HOSPITAL... THERE
WOULD BE ABOUT 160
INPATIENTS.
YESTERDAY... THERE
WERE 210 INPATIENTS.
WOMEN AND INFANTS
INPATIENT VOLUME IS UP
ABOUT 15 PERCENT.. AND
BUTLER HOSPITAL'S
OVERALL ACTIVITY IS UP
ABOUT 10 PERCENT.
THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH SAYS...
LANDMARK, ROGER
WILLIAMS, AND HABRO
HAVE ALL GONE ON BRIEF
DIVERSIONS SINCE THE
START OF THE STRIKE.
I'M SUSAN CAMPBELL,
EYEWITNESS NEWS.