LUMBERTON, NC (WBTW) – Southeastern Regional Medical Center officials in Lumberton are urging patients to avoid the emergency room.
Medical Director John Reed says patients should visit their family physicians or local clinics for non-emergencies because all staffed beds at the hospital are occupied.
“It’s busy, it’s real busy, they’re in and out, in and out,” said Lisa Smith.
Lisa Smith’s friend wasn’t feeling good Wednesday afternoon so she took her to the hospital.
“Just the standing in line time to check in was like 40 minutes so it’s been busy,” mentioned Smith.
Smith and her friend ended up waiting an hour before they saw a doctor.
“The doctors are working their butts off,” said Smith.
Dr. John Reed says he’s seeing patients with the usual illnesses, but more people.
“A lot of people with chronic illnesses in the county and our usual respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses that are kind of the bread and butter of the emergency departments,” explained Reed.
Reed tells News 13 that more than 30 residents were inside the ER earlier in the week.
He says that all staff beds are completely full including more than 40 emergency service beds.
“We got to a point in the late afternoon where we had 30 people in the emergency department waiting to be admitted upstairs and another 30 or so in the waiting room, waiting for very few available beds in the emergency department,” Reed said.
Medical Director Reed says if your life isn’t in danger to avoid the emergency room.
“We have to see the sickest and most severely injured first, so people with minor illnesses might have to wait if we’re busy or if we have a lot of high count of patients at the time,” mentioned Reed.
There are three alternatives for patients in the Lumberton area; one urgent care center in Pembroke, open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and two walk-in clinics in Lumberton, Southeastern Health Mall Clinic within Biggs Park Mall, open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the clinic at Walmart, open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. all accept patients without an appointment.
