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At least one hospital system in the Rio Grande Valley is observing an increase in emergency room visits and is expanding its resources to meet the need.
South Texas Health System announced in a news release Wednesday that its emergency department at STHS Heart in McAllen has seen a 10% increase in visits in recent months compared to the same time last year.
To meet the need, more staff has been hired, including a registered nurse during the mid-shift on weekdays and a licensed vocational nurse to help the registered nurses, and the hospital system has doubled patient beds to 14.
“Increasing our staffing and capacity is crucial to helping us take care of the communities we serve,” Joseph Barry, director of nursing at STHS Heart, said in a statement. “By expanding our ER services, we’re able to help address the demand at South Texas Health System’s other emergency departments, including the Level I Trauma Center at STHS McAllen.”
This also helps relieve STHS McAllen of caring for patients who don’t need intensive care.
Barry noted that STHS Heart is a Level IV trauma center and that its emergency department can handle more than just cardiac-related cases.
Level IV trauma centers can “provide evaluation, stabilization and diagnostic capabilities for injured patients and (have) transfer agreements in place for patients who may require more comprehensive trauma and critical care at a Level I Trauma Center like STHS McAllen.”
“All emergency departments need to be able to provide care of any type of injury or illness, 24/7, 365 days a year,” Barry added.
