AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., today authored an opinion article for USA Today, urging patients to continue to rely on hospitals and emergency rooms for non-COVID-19, life-saving, medically necessary care.

Citing an “alarming” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistic that the number of visits to emergency departments for life-threatening illnesses has declined by 42%, Estes writes, “Patients should seek emergency care when it is needed and get to the hospital in a timely fashion. Not only is it the right and safe thing to do, it’s also essential to preventing or limiting serious complications. Patient safety has always been the No. 1 priority for hospitals and health care providers, and COVID-19 has not changed this. In fact, the safety protocols put into place for patients, families, care providers and staff since the pandemic’s onset are more rigorous than ever.”

Related News Articles

Headline
AHA's latest social media toolkit for encouraging vaccination against the flu and COVID-19 provides fall-themed social media posts and graphics. Download the…
Headline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week endorsed a recommendation for people aged 65 and older and for immunocompromised individuals to…
Headline
A new report from KNG Health Consulting and released by the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare highlights the unique role of hospitals in providing…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Oct. 22 released final guidance detailing reporting requirements for the hospital respiratory data condition…
Headline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding clinicians and other health care workers to take necessary steps to keep themselves and their…
Headline
The National Institutes of Health Oct. 10 released results of a study that found that infection from COVID-19 in the first wave of the pandemic appeared to…