“It’s quiet, like on a Sunday,” noted a colleague when describing how the medical facility where he works feels every day right now. During the call, another colleague chimed in saying, “Same here, our hospital has the lowest census we’ve ever had in 20 years.” An emergency physician noted that his Emergency Department had open beds, no waiting.
We marveled at the slowdown of the pace at our respective medical centers. At first, we celebrated the silence, knowing that it meant we would have capacity to care for COVID-19 patients.
But what we didn’t anticipate was that our chronic or urgent care patients might delay care or necessary procedures because of “Stay Home, Stay Healthy,” or fears of contracting the coronavirus. Recent research bears out these concerns:
• Overlake Medical Center’s stroke program reports significant volume reductions year-over-year — data that implies that stroke victims who had potentially reversible disease did not get care they needed before permanent disability.
• The Washington State Department of Health reports that emergency room visits in April declined 40 percent compared to last year.
• A ProPublica article noted data from Seattle indicates that EMT and paramedic calls dropped by more than 25 percent in the first 10 days of April compared with the same time last year.
Where at first the silence was golden, now it is ominous. People are at home, in pain, and unable to schedule necessary procedures while their chronic conditions get worse. We are hearing disturbing stories of patients ignoring stroke and heart attack symptoms, and suffering permanent damage. We know of a heart attack patient who waited too long to go to the ER and died in the clinic’s parking lot.
It’s deeply troubling to think this may be occurring because people fear accessing needed treatment. We appreciate that fear is real. In the health care community, we are working to ensure the health and safety of all Washingtonians and doing our best to prevent the spread of the virus. All health care facilities have plans and procedures in place that ensure their patient populations remain as healthy as possible.
The “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate does not apply when you need to seek medical care — in those situations, you need to leave home in order to stay healthy. If we have learned anything about COVID-19, it is that it feasts on those with underlying chronic conditions. We must not create a population of vulnerable individuals by leaving their chronic conditions unmanaged.
Washington physicians are concerned about ensuring the health and wellbeing of all or our state’s residents. If you are experiencing an urgent, sudden onset of symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, we implore you not to delay. Call 911 and get help immediately. If you are a patient with chronic health concerns, be sure to take your medications on schedule and check in with your physician. And if you have concerns about your procedure or surgery being delayed, call your physician so they can determine the best course of care.
We look forward to the safe reopening of portions of our health care system that have been shuttered as we took the steps necessary to build capacity to treat those impacted by the virus.
The health of patients not affected by COVID-19 is an overwhelming concern. Many of our patients have put off desperately needed surgeries or procedures that can no longer be delayed. Telemedicine has been an important tool, but it does not substitute for hands-on examinations of growing children or diagnosing complex health problems.
We need to ensure that all Washingtonians are safe and healthy, and not unnecessarily delaying care now that could potentially cause complications and worse health outcomes down the road.
Dr. William K. Hirota, a Tacoma gastroenterologist, is president of the Washington State Medical Association.
