As COVID surges in Fairbanks, risk of diverting patients to Anchorage or Seattle grows

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital: “We are close to ‘divert’ status based on lack of additional respiratory equipment. This means as new patients need to be admitted, for any kind of care (heart attack, broken leg, etc.), they will be assessed for our capacity to provide care to them and they might need to be medevac’d to an Anchorage or Seattle hospital. This creates a serious hardship for patients and families – it puts them in an unfamiliar environment for care, limits the support they can get from their friends and family, and it can be extremely expensive for the patient.”

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