Toolkit: Seasonal Illnesses and Strain on Emergency Departments

HAP Resource Center

Toolkit: Seasonal Illnesses and Strain on Emergency Departments

Emergency departments at many hospitals throughout Pennsylvania and nationally are facing a “quad-demic” of seasonal respiratory illnesses—with COVID-19, the flu, RSV, and the norovirus all circulating at the same time. Some emergency departments are at or approaching capacity and are taking action to support their teams and patients.

Use this toolkit to help communicate about these challenges.

Key Messages

Hospital emergency departments are strained—with some approaching or at capacity—as the flu, norovirus, RSV, and COVID-19 spread in Pennsylvania communities.

Cases of the highly contagious norovirus are surging beyond levels seen in previous years, as COVID-19, the flu, and RSV continue to spread at high levels. At the same time, hospitals are continuing to see many critically ill and injured patients in their emergency departments.

Hospitals are facing multiple challenges at once. Strain throughout the health care continuum limits access to care that helps prevent emergencies, as well as access to post-acute care, such as skilled nursing, and behavioral health care that supports patients after an emergency department visit. This means more patients are experiencing physical and behavioral health emergencies and waiting longer in the hospital after their acute needs have been addressed.

Be prepared to possibly experience long waits in the emergency department. Please be patient and understand that hospitals and their staff are doing the best they can to navigate these challenges to provide high-quality care for patients.

Consider your primary health care provider, urgent care, or telehealth for non-emergency care. Always go to the emergency department for emergencies or life-threatening illnesses and injuries and call 9-1-1 if you need immediate medical attention.

There’s still time to receive the updated flu shot and COVID-19 vaccines, which have been designed to offer protection for the viruses circulating this season.

- Flu and COVID-19 shots are recommended every year for adults and kids 6 months and older.

- Talk with your health care provider about if you are eligible to receive the vaccine for RSV.
Please treat health care workers with respect and appreciation. Clinicians and support staff are under enormous strain and are working as hard as possible through challenging circumstances to ensure that all patients receive high-quality care. Violence and abuse against health care workers is never acceptable.

Additional messaging from the American Hospital Association is available online.

Sample Tweets

Many #pahospitals are strained as RSV, the flu, COVID-19, and norovirus circulate in our communities. There may be long ER waits. Please be patient and know hospital staff are working to make sure all patients get the best care.

Feeling sick? Urgent care, primary care, and telehealth are great options for non-emergency care. Always go to the hospital ER for emergencies or life-threatening illnesses and injuries and call 9-1-1 if you need immediate medical attention.

If you haven’t had a flu shot or COVID-19, there’s still time to take action. Learn how to protect yourself and your family and find vaccines near you: https://www.vaccines.gov.

#DYK flu and COVID-19 shots are for everyone 6 months and older? Learn how to protect yourself and your family and find vaccines near you: https://www.vaccines.gov.