Medical centers clogged

      With Las Vegas emergency rooms overflowing from a sea of people suffering from flulike symptoms, county officials warned Friday that a trip to the emergency room could easily turn into a marathon waiting session for treatment.
      Otto Ravenholt, chief health officer of the Clark County Health District, personally issued a health advisory Friday afternoon in light of the influx of patients at Las Vegas medical facilities.
      "Forget about quick attention unless you are really sick," he said. "Right now we are in a very difficult overload situation."
      The culprit is a nasty upper respiratory infection that has hit thousands in the valley. Persistent coughs and flulike symptoms are translating into long lines at the approximate 30 emergency rooms, quick and urgent care centers in the county.
      "We are looking at about a 50 percent increase in (patient) traffic," Ravenholt said.
      "A visit that would usually take one to two hours has started to take between two and four hours."
      Kevin Sehnke said he had to take his 78-year-old father, Ralph, to the UMC Quick Care at 4333 North Rancho Drive Friday evening. When they arrived they found a packed waiting room. But personnel there realized the man's respiratory infection had turned into a case of pneumonia, so they summoned an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
      "I wanted them to take him to (Columbia) Sunrise (Hospital and Medical Center), but they said that they were so busy they had to bring him here," Sehnke said as he sat in the emergency room of University Medical Center, where his father was being treated. "Everywhere we've been is real crowded."
      Ambulance and hospital staffers have been working under emergency and critical diversion conditions all week. Five out of the seven hospitals in the valley report near-capacity crowds in their critical care units and emergency rooms. That means patients can't always be taken to their hospital of choice, and some are diverted to facilities that can accommodate them.
      Ravenholt said November through March is traditionally the busiest time of the year for emergency rooms and quick care centers, but this year has turned into the busiest ever.
      "We've annually had an overload, but this year has been the most severe," he said.
      And the excess of patients is also causing an increased work load for emergency room and ambulance workers who are scrambling to meet the demand.
      "It's just unbelievable over here," said Ann Lynch, a spokeswoman for Sunrise Hospital. "We are cramped over capacity. We are seeing a little bit of everything. I personally think the number one thing we are seeing is a lot of upper respiratory problems and other illnesses associated with the cool weather."
      Cathy Hayes, a spokeswoman for American Medical Response, said paramedics have been exceedingly busy, but that speed of service and quality of care have not been affected.
      "Part of the problem is people don't always use emergency rooms appropriately," Hayes said. "If people don't have a true emergency, it would alleviate a lot of the traffic if they were to go to a primary care doctor instead of an emergency room."
      Hayes said she does not believe the overload of patients means Las Vegas needs more hospital beds.
      "You have to realize that a lot of those beds during other times of the year are empty," she said. "And, traditionally, it is busy across the country at this time of year."
      Ravenholt said those who are the sickest will be serviced first. The health district is asking people to try and avoid emergency room treatment if possible.
      "We encourage them to see a private doctor if they can or nurse it at home with chicken noodle soup or the proper medications," he said.