Skip to Content
AP Missouri

With no beds, hospitals ship patients to far-off cities

KMIZ
By
Published 2:22 PM

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JIM SALTER
Associated Press

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Many overwhelmed hospitals, with no beds to offer, are putting critically ill COVID-19 patients on planes, helicopters and ambulances and sending them hundreds of miles to far-flung states for treatment.The delta variant of the virus, combined with low vaccination rates in many states, is causing a surge that has hospitals scrambling to find bed space — even if it means sending patients far away from home. The issue is that large hospitals in urban areas already were full and struggling with staffing problems when the outbreak started. That means they have no free beds to offer to patients from small rural hospitals without ICUs. In some cases, the larger hospitals also are looking to transfer out some of their own patients to relieve the strain.

Article Topic Follows: AP Missouri

Jump to comments ↓

associatedpress

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

ABC 17 News is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content