Massachusetts has a hospital bed shortage. Here's why
Massachusetts has the second-highest hospital bed occupancy in the nation - 86% - according to a recent study from the American Medical Association. That's just behind Rhode Island, and the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association says that's the expected national average in 2032.
Waiting days for a hospital bed
The shortage has some patients waiting days for a bed.
Barry Radin is a grandfather, a talented retail salesman, and a 30-year survivor of Crohn's disease. The 68-year-old recently had a flare-up that sent him to the hospital.
"Before I could do anything about it, my brother, who I live with, found me collapsed on the floor and called an ambulance," said Radin.
He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. He stayed there while waiting to be transferred to the care he needed in Boston.
"The first thing they told me is it might be a day or two before I could go to Boston. I sort of figured that out with everything that's been on in the news and everything," Radin said. "I was expecting one to two days, tops."
After nearly a week, he was transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston for treatment and recovery.
"My normal weight is 130. In the past while, it has been 120; I was down to 105. I am working my way back up to 110," Radin said from his hospital bed.
Hospitals face flu, closures
In a statement, a BIDMC spokesperson said, "Like many hospitals and health care providers and systems in Massachusetts and around the country, we are seeing an increase in patients admitted largely due to an uptick in respiratory viruses. Our focus remains on providing safe, high-quality care to anyone who needs treatment. While we can't speak to individual patients due to privacy laws, when we do transfer patients between facilities, we aim to do so as seamlessly as possible."
The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) says the shortage is not new and started before the COVID-19 pandemic. They say it is not due to a lack of nurses, but, in part, that some care providers don't want to work in unsafe hospital conditions.
"They want to work in a safe environment, and by that, I mean we don't want assaults on nurses and all health care professionals," tells Katie Murphy, MNA president. "People who have been assaulted in health care settings have told me they're not going back."
Then, there's the flu. Murphy says it's filling up beds and coming after nurses.
"Healthcare providers are getting as sick as patients are," said Murphy.
She also says more than 40 hospitals have closed in the past 10 to 15 years, which may be putting stress on places trying to find space for people like Radin.
"The best part of living is being helpful and putting smiles on people's faces. That brings me great joy. I got two grandchildren that I want to get back to," said Radin, who has been posting about his hospital journey on social media. "I go on social media, not for the attention but to try to help other people going through the same thing as me. Life isn't all bad. We can get through it."
