Stillwater, Oklahoma, declares state of emergency, overflow tents set up
The mayor of Stillwater, Oklahoma, declared a state of emergency for the city that started Friday due to a soaring number of hospital patients and a shortage of medical staff.
Overflow tents have been set up outside the Stillwater Medical Center Emergency Department to deal with the influx.
The state’s department of health is deploying the Medical Reserve Corps. and additional medical professionals to help in overflow tents.
“Our health professionals have incessantly warned us that we may reach the point when much-needed medical attention, COVID or non-COVID related, may not be available,” Mayor Will Joyce said in a release. “We have now reached that critical threshold where our hospital no longer has available staffed beds.”
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“It is critical that each of us become fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks when possible,” he added.
Officials said Stillwater Medical, which serves in a six-county area, is at full capacity.
In the crisis, residents and visitors who go to the hospital for treatment over the weekend may be diverted to nearby or out-of-state facilities.
There are zero ICU beds available across the four largest hospital systems in Oklahoma City, ABC local affiliate in Oklahoma City KOCO reported.
Concerns are mounting especially as Stillwater hosts events and activities that kick off Saturday and have the potential to attract an influx of 40,000 visitors.