photo by: LMH Health

LMH Health, 325 Maine St., is pictured in May 2021.

LMH Health reported a “significant increase” in patients in its emergency department and hospital earlier this week, and representatives for the hospital say there’s no single answer for why that’s occurring, though they cite several contagious viruses that are going around.

LMH emergency department physician Dr. Toni Pittman told the Journal-World the hospital has seen a 20% increase in patients coming to the emergency department since June, a number that continues to rise. The emergency department saw 3,044 patients in June, compared with 3,394 in November.

The numbers for the entire year so far tell a similar story. Emergency department visitors rose from 8,385 in the first quarter of 2022 to 9,341 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, the number of patients passed 10,000. During just October and November, there were 6,884 emergency department patients.

“This isn’t a new occurrence and is similar to the increase that other area hospitals are also experiencing,” Pittman said. “We’re seeing a spike in influenza A cases now, which is something that generally doesn’t happen this early in flu season.”

Another LMH doctor, infectious disease physician Dr. Christopher Penn, said influenza A is hitting everywhere about two months earlier than in a typical flu season. Penn said he’d expect another rise to occur in the coming months as influenza B emerges.

The hospital is also seeing patients with RSV — a common and highly contagious respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms — and COVID-19. On top of that, LMH spokesperson Autumn Bishop added that the hospital still has to treat patients who need care for other conditions or who’ve suffered traumatic injuries or accidents.

Much like most hospital emergency rooms do, Pittman said LMH uses a triage system to assess patients who come in for care. LMH’s system looks at the severity of a patient’s illness so those who are critically ill with conditions like a stroke or heart attack don’t wait to receive care.

But the increased volume means that some patients classified as lower priority are being held in the emergency department until patient beds become available, increasing wait times for other folks seeking care. Traci Hoopingarner, LMH Health’s chief nursing officer, said that’s similar to what’s happening at other area hospitals.

LMH Health is trying to mitigate that by steering patients toward the correct places depending on what care they need.

“We want to ensure the community knows about available options for care,” Hoopingarner said. “This includes sharing information including when to opt for emergency, walk-in or primary care services.”

LMH Health’s website has a guide to help patients determine which of those kinds of care they need. Hoopingarner said that information has also been shared through LMH Health’s social media platforms and has been posted at the entrance of the hospital’s emergency department.