H1N1 Surge Triggers Emergency Plan for NYC Hospital

Nov. 12, 2009— -- The number of flu cases in New York City ERs jumped 25 percent this Monday. Though many emergency departments said such a "post-weekend bump" in ER visits is common, for one Brooklyn hospital, it was more than just a case of the Mondays.

At Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, a surge in pediatric patients over the weekend continued into the week, leading the hospital to trigger its emergency preparedness and surge capacity plan for the first time since it was created this summer.

"[Flu levels] peaked [Tuesday], and over the past five days we're seeing an increase," said Dr. Estevan Garcia, director of pediatric emergency medicine at Maimonides said Wednesday. He added that compared to the same time in 2008, flu cases were up 10 percent.

In tracking the spread of H1N1, the New York City Department of Health has been collecting data on flu visits to the ER from 50 hospitals, a spread that covers 95 percent of ER visits annually for the city.

Though this Monday's surge was the largest increase seen this fall for New York City hospitals, a look back at past health department data showed that Mondays consistently bring a bump in flu patient volume, and often in overall ER patient volume -- a trend that is confirmed anecdotally by ER doctors.

"For us, Mondays are our busiest days [and] I think that happens often for ERs," said Garcia. "[Perhaps] people see how things go for the weekend and then go in on Monday" if it hasn't cleared up.

Dr. Tucker Woods, chairman of emergency medicine at Long Island College Hospital, agreed, saying that "regardless of being in flu season or not, typically Mondays are the busiest days. This is not just [Long Island College Hospital]. This is citywide."

Because of this Monday trend, Eileen Tynion, a spokeswoman for Maimonides Hospital, said that when officials saw an increase in volume for pediatric patients with flu-like symptoms this past weekend, they were not necessarily alarmed. But when the rise in flu cases continued into Tuesday, traditionally the hospital's slowest day, hospital officials became concerned.