OHIO — Emergency rooms across the country are facing added pressure to meet the needs of those entering with heat related issues. 

What You Need To Know

  • Heat waves can create stress on hospitals as they deal with limited staff and limited numbers of beds
  • People living in rural areas tend to come into emergency rooms more during heat waves because there is no way to escape it
  • OSU Wexner Medical Center already has a number of plans in place, just in case a mass response is needed

“As the numbers of heat related emergencies rise, it is challenging to control what’s happening on that front, along with the other emergencies they have to deal with, especially for extended periods of time. All of it creates a trickle down effect. So, we have a limited number of staff. We have a limited number of beds and this is still happening on top of all the other emergencies that we’re seeing. So it’s extremely stressful,” said Dr. Nicole McAllister, an osteopathic physician and clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at OSU’s Wexner Medical Center 

While hospitals face great effects, so do those living in rural areas. McAllister said residents in rural places end up coming in for care more often during heat waves because those areas have fewer resources. People don’t always have cooling centers to go to escape the high temperatures. 

As for large events happening in the state, where people choose to spend time in the heat, and could potentially find themselves in a dangerous situation, like a mass shooting incident, it only heightens the pressure. Dr. McAllister said they partner with many agencies and have a number of plans to be able to respond on a mass scale.

“We practiced this in the past, for how to take care of these patients, not just from heat emergencies, but also from potential traumas or any other type of large events.”

She added that they hope they don’t have use and of the plans, but they are ready if they do.