Augusta Health’s emergency department is on EMS diversion until 5 p.m. Thursday, a contact at the regional hospital has confirmed.
The issue first came to our attention on the Facebook page of Wintergreen Fire & Rescue, which reported this afternoon that due to a spike in COVID patients, Augusta Health was not able to accept emergency patients unless they were experiencing life-threatening emergencies.
Our contact at Augusta Health confirmed that the EMS diversion in place today does not apply to stroke or heart attack victims.
Wintergreen Fire & Rescue reported on its Facebook page around 2:30 p.m. that it had three ambulances en route to UVA that normally would have been transports to Augusta Health.
“The additional time it takes to make the longer transport loop could eventually translate to delayed response times by ambulances to pending emergencies,” the Facebook post reported.
Wintergreen Fire & Rescue will be hosting a vaccine clinic on Jan. 13, a week from today. If you need an initial dose or a booster, email [email protected].
Our Augusta Health contact reported that the hospital will continue to evaluate and assess patients in the ICU and critical care units for appropriate internal transfer to other units within the hospital.
The situation will be reassessed at 5 p.m. today.
Story by Chris Graham
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