Lack of available hospital beds in Oregon pushing system to breaking point, group says

SOUTHERN OREGON, —The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, says the lack of available hospital beds statewide, is pushing the system to a breaking point. Delays discharging patients out of the hospital into long-term care facilities is an ongoing issue, only made worse by Covid.

Friday, hospitals have 570 patients that could be discharged, but there is nowhere for them to go. The staffing shortages at these facilities, contribute to the delay.

There are also 248 people in the Emergency Department, that are waiting to be admitted into the hospital, adding additional capacity challenges for hospitals.

“Hospitals are one part of the overall care continuum, right now that continuum is not meeting the needs of patients and it’s making the situation in hospitals, far more challenging,” said Becky Hultberg, OAHHS President & CEO.

To deal with the shortage of beds, many hospital systems started rescheduling elective surgeries, to free up more space.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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