Ambulance-Transported Patients Temporarily Diverted by Genesis

Genesis HealthCare System’s Emergency Department temporarily diverted ambulance-transported patients Thursday evening.

Director of Genesis Marketing and Public Relations Kelley Daspit said the diversion occurred due to an extremely high volume of patients and a lack of available critical care beds.

Officials said the situation arose due to a rapidly rising number of patients with severe Covid-19 illness, which caused the inpatient census to reach the maximum threshhold for safe care of patients.

The diversion only affected patients with non-life-threatening conditions who were being transported to the hospital’s emergency department by ambulances. Daspit said this is standard operating procedure anytime the Emergency Department has a high volume of patients and when other resources are necessary for the care of severely ill patients are not available. It’s a practice used by all emergency departments in Ohio.

Daspit said those experiencing acute emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes or traumas continue to be accepted at Genesis’ emergency department during diversions.