KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego Hospitals Stretched Thin By Surge Of Non-COVID Illnesses, Injuries

By Jade Hindmon / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Harrison Patiño / Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published August 16, 2021 at 12:09 PM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Scripps Mercy Hospital is pictured in Hillcrest, June 1, 2021.

In addition to a wave delta-variant-related COVID cases, San Diego's hospitals are struggling to keep up with a high volume of non-COVID-related hospitalizations.

San Diego County hospitals are struggling to address an influx of patients seeking non-COVID care.

The region's health care providers — already stretched thin due to increasing delta-variant hospitalizations — are now contending with an unusually high intake of patients seeking treatment for various other illnesses and injuries.

Hospital officials are unsure exactly as to why they are seeing such a sharp increase, though some say that a high number of patients may be seeking care after initially delaying non-emergency procedures earlier in the pandemic.

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Paul Sisson is a health care reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune. He joined Midday Edition on Monday with more on the high patient volume in San Diego's hospitals.

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KPBS Midday Edition Health Care COVID-19

Jade Hindmon

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Jade Hindmon is the host of KPBS Midday Edition. She connects San Diego through fearless conversations that inform, inspire and make you think. Prior to Midday Edition Jade was a reporter and fill-in anchor in the KPBS newsroom covering everything from politics to policing and the economy. Her award winning work spans network affiliates across the southeast and midwest. As a very proud Rattler, Jade studied broadcast journalism and political science at Florida A&M University. She takes a special interest in topics about democracy, accountability, racial justice, science and wellness.

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Harrison Patiño

Harrison Patiño is a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition". His primary roles include story development, and is involved in the audio production and coordination of interview subjects. Prior to joining KPBS, Harrison held various positions at Hawaii Public Radio within its news and music departments. While pursuing a double major in journalism and classics at The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Harrison worked at the school's student-run radio station, KTUH. After graduating, Harrison served as a community advisor for the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Student Media Board.

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