Social admissions during a blizzard

[Rexie]

I had never worked a snow emergency at a community hospital until this past weekend and am curious if other community hospitals run the same way. I made it in through the terrible roads. I expected staffing to be short but I never expected the extra strain put on us by the social admissions - people who really didn't need nursing care but had lost power and didn't want to stay home alone, or people whose homes had sustained damage. People were admitted for the slightest or vaguest complaints. I don't mean to sound heartless. I understand why some people would need shelter and I'm not saying we should throw people out into the storm but they did not need to be in a hospital bed. Is this a common practice? I'm hoping that my facility was just caught off guard this time and this doesn't happen with every bad storm. Or is this just part of what it means to be a community hospital?

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

That's crazy, but it just goes to show how we as a society lack so many community/social resources to help others in times of need.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Well, back years ago a community hospital was also thought of as being there for the community in a disaster. I don't have problem with shelter during a disaster like a place to sit inside if waiting area not too busy - not admission to a needed bed up on the floors, tho. Facilities need firm policy on these things in place before disasters happen.