Long-term care bottleneck continues to stress hospital capacity
WCAX
UVM Health Network officials are sounding the alarm about a lack of long-term care capacity in Vermont and the impact it’s having on patients.
The UVM Medical Center for several years has been among those feeling the impact, with patients sometimes waiting hours to get a bed because those who need to be moved to step-down facilities have no place to go. Just last month officials said cold and flu cases were stressing capacity, reminding Vermonters that not every illness requires a trip to the ER.
John McMahon spoke with UVM Medical Center president Dr. Stephen Leffler about the problem and how to fix it.