Caroline Cornish, MaineHealth207 662-5146 / [email protected] Karen Sanborn, April, Northern Light Health207 973-6164/ [email protected] PORTLAND and BANGOR, Maine – An unprecedented increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among infants and toddlers in Maine is now placing significant strain on pediatric patient capacity across the region. At a news conference Friday, health experts from MaineHealth and Northern Light Health urged the public to remain vigilant about protecting themselves from respiratory illnesses. On Friday, Nov. 4, all 87 staffed pediatric beds at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center (BBCH) in Portland were occupied and more pediatric patients were being boarded at MMC’s emergency department. The 37 staffed pediatric beds at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor were 97 percent full. BBCH is considering postponing some non-urgent surgeries to create bed capacity. Eastern Maine Medical Center has already begun a process to increase the availability of care, including moving some pediatric patients with non-respiratory conditions to the neonatal intensive care unit. Additional measures will be taken as necessary. “Our hospital patient capacity is really elevated right now,” said Mary Ottolini, MD, the George W. Hallett Chair of Pediatrics at BBCH. “We are rapidly approaching a tipping point where we will not be able to provide the level of care that we know patients need.” RSV is a common respiratory disease with no specific treatment beyond supportive care. Most children can recover at home, but the illness can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia in babies and toddlers. Children with severe RSV may receive supportive care in the hospital, including fluids and oxygen and, occasionally, more advanced respiratory support. Pediatricians with both health systems urge parents not to delay care, but to keep in mind that emergency care should be reserved for the sickest patients, and parents with concerns should call their primary care provider first. “Rest assured, if you need medical care, you are in very good hands and we will get back to you as soon as possible, but cases are being reviewed to get to our sickest, most acute patients first,” said Jonathan Wood, MD. , pediatric intensivist with Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. Parents should seek emergency care right away if their child has trouble breathing or is breathing very quickly, seems very sleepy, or has lips or fingernails that look blue. Capacity challenges at Maine hospitals are not limited to pediatrics. The nationwide shortage of health care workers in hospitals and post-surgical care facilities such as nursing homes has severely limited the ability of both health systems to increase capacity when there are outbreaks of respiratory diseases such as RSV, influenza or COVID-19 . Delayed care during the pandemic has also led to higher acuity in patients seeking care, resulting in them occupying hospital beds for longer periods of time. “We are still seeing many cases of COVID and more and more flu. As a result, our emergency departments continue to be extremely busy,” said Dora Mills, MD, Chief Health Improvement Officer at MaineHealth. “We can all do our part to protect those most at risk, such as infants and the elderly, by continuing the measures we took at the height of the COVID pandemic, such as covering up and social distancing, if you or a loved one is highly danger, and stay home when you are sick.’ “Our request to the public is to remain vigilant as we see an unprecedented increase in different respiratory viruses,” said James Jarvis, MD, senior medical officer, system incident management, Northern Light Health. “Remember everything we’ve done in the past three years: wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently, cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue, or better yet wear a mask in all indoor public spaces, stay home when you’re unwell, and get vaccinated against of COVID-19 and influenza”. Learn more about RSV at the Centers for Disease Control website. Note to reporters and editors: If you would like a recording of Friday’s press conference, please email Chris Facchini, director of media and multimedia strategy at Northern Light Health.
About MaineHealth: MaineHealth is a not-for-profit comprehensive health system whose vision is “Working together to make our communities the healthiest in America.” It consists of nine local health systems, a comprehensive network of behavioral health care, diagnostic services, home health services and 1,700 employed providers working together through MaineHealth Medical Group. With approximately 22,000 employees, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. Includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, MaineHealth Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, NH, Mid Coast – Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. MaineHealth Partners include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville, New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland and St. John’s Regional Medical Center. Mary’s in Lewiston. He is also a major stakeholder in MaineHealth’s Accountable Care Organization in Portland. About Northern Light Health: At Northern Light Health, we’re building a better approach to healthcare because we believe people deserve access to care that works for them. As a comprehensive health care delivery system serving Maine, we raise the bar with no-nonsense solutions that lead to a healthier future for our state. Our more than 12,000 team members—in our hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, long-term and home health care, behavioral health care, and ground and air medical transport and emergency care—are committed to making health care work for you: our patients, our communities, and our employees. To learn more about Northern Light Health and our Maine locations, visit www.northernlighthealth.org.
