Times Union: Local Hospitals Say ER Waits Getting Longer

May 19, 2022 Courtney Weisberg SPHP in the News
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Capital Region emergency rooms are experiencing longer than usual wait times amid a springtime COVID surge.

Steven Hanks, M.D., chief clinical officer and chief operating officer for St. Peter’s Health Partners, was quoted in a Times Union article concerning the influx of COVID patients and the impact those seeking care are having on area hospitals.

From the article:

The reason: A big increase in patients going to the emergency room for mild COVID-19 symptoms, Albany Medical Center, Ellis Medicine and St. Peter’s Health Partners said in a combined advisory. Physician leaders advise that patients seeking non-emergency care are likely to have shorter waits by contacting their primary care physician or being seen at an urgent care sites. The hospitals are among those operating urgent care sites.

“Between our current inpatient numbers and the surge in COVID-19 cases, all of our area’s emergency departments are reporting longer wait times for patients seeking care,” Dr. Steven Hanks, chief clinical officer, chief operating officer and Acting CEO for St. Peter’s Health Partners said in the statement. “We understand that people are frustrated with the longer wait times and ask for their patience and respect for our health care providers.”
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Times Union: Capital Region Hospital ERs Join Pilot to Reduce Opioid Use

October 29, 2018 Courtney Weisberg SPHP in the News

The Times Union published a story on a new regional effort to reduce opioid use in hospital emergency departments. The Iroquois Healthcare Association is spearheading the $500,000 Opioid Alternative Project, which involves 17 upstate New York hospitals, including St. Peter’s, Samaritan, and Albany Memorial hospitals. The pilot program is part of wider efforts to curb the state’s opioid epidemic. From the article: In New York, clinicians from participating hospitals met last month to establish their own protocols for alternative treatments, said Jessica Morelli, vice president of the Iroquois Healthcare Alliance. Details are still being finalized, she said, but they broadly agreed to use alternatives to opioids such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, ketamine, lidocaine and even caffeine for diagnoses ranging from urinary stones, back pain, sprains, minor fractures and dislocations, tooth pain, headaches and abdominal pain. To read more about the program, click HERE.

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