WARSAW, N.Y. (WKBW) — Senator Chuck Schumer calls on Health and Human Services to combat the rise in RSV cases in Western New York.
Schumer showed up at the Wyoming County Community Health System Friday afternoon to address the concern about RSV cases in the rural community.
“Rural hospitals like Wyoming County and Oishei Children’s Hospital have been both overwhelmed with huge spikes of RSV cases of kids,” he says. “And this increases waiting time in the emergency room.”
Senator Schumer says 50 new cases appeared in the first two weeks of November in Wyoming County, with pediatric COVID cases are up 75 percent and pediatric influenza cases have gone up to 24.
Meanwhile, Wyoming County has 62 beds for patients, which the CEO of the hospital, David Kobis, tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person right now they're in good standing to confront a potential winter surge.
“We’re not as challenged as urban areas with shortages of beds we also have a 138 beds in nursing facilities," Kobis says. "So those patients that need longer term care we can quickly transition them.”
Senator Schumer says Oishei Children’s Hospital had over a thousand pediatric RSV admissions over the past two months.
“Our team has done a great job coming together to solve this,” Dr. Michael Mineo, CEO of Kaleida Health. “We’ve opened up five over floor areas. We’ve turned our cafeteria area into an extended er to bed sick children, but we can only do so much it takes the community to come together.”
Senator Schumer says he wants the health department to be ready the second any hospital like Wyoming County and Oishei needs the help.
“If a hospital like the one we’re in, like the Wyoming County, says today I need help, I want the HHS to say they’ll be there tomorrow,” Schumer says. “And right now, the law allows the HHS to provide support by sending medical doctors.
