Hospitals overburdened with COVID-19 patients may lean on medical centers in the North State to relieve intensive care unit (ICU) pressure.
California Public Health Officer Tomas Aragon issued an order Tuesday requiring all hospitals in the state to take in out-of-area patients if needed and if there is capacity.
Robert Folden is chief operating officer of Mercy Medical Center in Redding. Folden said in a media call Wednesday he’s concerned about stretching resources thin.
“We certainly want to help where we can help, but at the same time I don’t know if I want to overburden our entire system to the point where now when I have a member of my own community that I can’t care for or, worse, I have a trauma that I can’t take care of.” He said.
According to the state, ICU availability in the Southern California and San Joaquin regions has reached 0%. The Northern California region’s ICU availability is about 24%.