No.. many of the surge plans we are currently seeing implemented, we designed within the last couple months, specifically for Covid. I'm not claiming no hospital ever had a surge before. But nothing like we are seeing now. (and if this is what it's like in the summer, the fall could really become critical).
It's true, there is a thriving travel nursing industry. It's false to say "nothing to see" and it's done all the time. Again, we have never in modern history seen anything like this. No -- there isn't a thriving industry of travel intensivists.
Well, that's false. Many areas have cancelled elective procedures altogether. In Florida, we are seeing some such procedures cancelled:
Yes, that's denial of care. Often, those "elective" procedures are critical quality of life surgeries (spinal fusions, etc).
Now, we have a law in this country -- EMTALA -- It requires hospitals to provide emergency care. So yes, hospitals are still in compliance with the law.. they are still obeying EMTALA and providing emergency room treatment to people that walk into the door.
But within the bounds of the law, hospitals are indeed denying care -- Elective procedures are being cancelled for weeks, if not months, on end. That's the very definition of denying care.
Hurricane Humberto cancelled our Canadian ports on our transatlantic cruise last year. We had to go way south to get around it. Some day I can tell me grandkids I sailed through a hurricane....sort of.
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