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H1N1/09 Flu Maxes Out Regional Hospital Capacity

September 13, 2009 (LPAC)—Hospitals in Metro Washington, D.C., Alabama, and other locales are already reporting episodes of full-up emergency and intensive care departments, because of the hit of just a few severe cases of H1N1/09, taking up their limited spare beds. For example, this past week, one Baltimore and one Washington, D.C. hospital ran out of any room at all for even a car crash victim or any other critical care case.

Of course, this was to be expected, given the drastic take-down in ratios of hospital beds and intensive care units per 1,000 persons across the country, to the point that the U.S. hospital network cannot even take care of "normal" acute caseloads, or multiple victim disasters. The College of American Emergency Room Physicians and many others have been shouting about this threat since April.

But the Obama Administration—because of its ideological commitment to the British/Nazi health care program of limiting care—has denied the reality of what the new flu is bound to do. The White House continues its assertion of the "over-utilization of medical infrastructure."

Soon, not just a few hot-spots of flu outbreaks that strain local facilities, but many more localities will simultaneously have a "few" severe cases on their hands with no facilities available, as the flu spreads into its peak phase. Epidemiologists now think this may be in October. Even if in early November, it is thus likely before the new vaccine is available.

States and localities are scrambling on their own for contingencies, all the while the economic collapse quickens. California and Iowa have stand-by hospital facilities that can be set up in portable tents in mall parking lots or football fields. Pennsylvania has bought mobile truck hospitals. A Washington, D.C. facility, the Children's National Medical Center, is fortunate enough to have a new East Wing, that can be converted into critical care wards.

Officials of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Biosecurity have been speaking out on the danger ahead. Eric Toner, of the Center, told the Washington Post (datelined Sept. 13): "There will be millions and millions of people seeking care in a relatively short period of time. Only a small percentage of those people will require hospitalization and a small percentage will require intensive care. But it's still an awful lot of people."

Lyndon LaRouche has repeatedly called for restoring the Hill-Burton principle of building up the medical care delivery system to ratios per 1,000 persons, where care can be provided to all. Even now, committing to this on an emergency basis would save lives. Ignoring LaRouche and the hospital-system principle, unnecessarily guarantees death for thousands now, and millions to come.


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