Okanogan County Hospitals Exceeding Capacity

All of Okanogan County's hospitals reportedly ran out of bed space in their emergency rooms multiple times this week due to the surge in COVID-19 patients.

According to a release by several healthcare providers, resources in the county are stretched to the limit and there are no hospital beds available in Washington State. Patients cannot be transferred and are being cared for in the emergency department.

Hospitals are currently under 'contingency care' and are on the verge of 'crisis standards of care', which would mean healthcare providers would have to shift away from maximizing the best care for each patient to care for the most people.

Healthcare providers are asking four things of the community:

• Please only go to the Emergency Room for emergencies
• Avoid risky behaviors and activities that could result in a trip to the hospital
• Get routine care from your primary care provider for any conditions you know you have
• Protect yourself from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and wearing a masking in public, crowded spaces