Visits to the Emergency Room Spike on Holidays
By: Sujata Khandelwal
Updated: September 3, 2012
HAGERSTOWN, MD - The emergency room is the last place you want to be during a long weekend, but trips to Meritus typically spike around the holiday.
"In the ER, any day can explode," says Lou Ann Myers, who works in the emergency room at Meritus Medical Center.
Long weekends are no exception. Lou Ann Myers, a clinical manager, says they actually see more patients on average during a holiday.
Health officials say they saw roughly 30 to 40 patients on both Saturday and Sunday over Labor Day weekend.
"This weekend has been extremely busy," says Myers. "On Saturday we saw 250 patients and on Sunday, 267. Our average is about 219 per day so that's significantly over our daily average. It keeps everybody very busy."
Myers says part of the rise has to do with the exponential increase in the number of travelers hitting the road.
"We've seen around 10 traumas from motor vehicle accidents and recreational vehicles this weekend. So, that's always on the up-swing during a holiday weekend," says Myers.
Staffing is increased on holidays, too.
"We were fully staffed. Physician, nurse, tech, transporter and clerk-wise all weekend," says Myers.
Myers says their busiest holidays will be here soon, Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
"In the ER, any day can explode," says Lou Ann Myers, who works in the emergency room at Meritus Medical Center.
Long weekends are no exception. Lou Ann Myers, a clinical manager, says they actually see more patients on average during a holiday.
Health officials say they saw roughly 30 to 40 patients on both Saturday and Sunday over Labor Day weekend.
"This weekend has been extremely busy," says Myers. "On Saturday we saw 250 patients and on Sunday, 267. Our average is about 219 per day so that's significantly over our daily average. It keeps everybody very busy."
Myers says part of the rise has to do with the exponential increase in the number of travelers hitting the road.
"We've seen around 10 traumas from motor vehicle accidents and recreational vehicles this weekend. So, that's always on the up-swing during a holiday weekend," says Myers.
Staffing is increased on holidays, too.
"We were fully staffed. Physician, nurse, tech, transporter and clerk-wise all weekend," says Myers.
Myers says their busiest holidays will be here soon, Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
