Fire safety officer tells IU Health Bloomington to move patients out of hallways
Recently, a fire official asked staff at IU Health Bloomington hospital to remove patients from the hallways where hospital staff had placed them due to overcrowding.
Tim Clapp, Bloomington’s fire marshal, said when he was at the hospital about a month ago for a final inspection of a remodeling project, he saw about a dozen people on cots or beds in the hallways.
“They are blocking the exit there,” he said.
Clapp asked IU Health staff to remove patients from the hallways.
“They fixed that very quickly,” he said.
Shortly after Indiana University Health opened its $557 million hospital on Bloomington’s east side in late 2021, patients began complaining about long wait times in the emergency room and even longer waits for a proper patient room. Patients reported being in pain, alone in the hallways and worried about when they would receive care — though they generally praised nurses, doctors and other staff for the care they received.
The hospital’s chief medical officer recently said they recognize that overcrowding at the Bloomington facility is “an all too common experience” and that they are considering options to address the problem.
IU Health redesigns facilities at Bloomington hospital
A hospital spokeswoman said Friday that a project to redesign some office and equipment storage areas is intended to alleviate space constraints during busiest periods.
By the end of August, the hospital plans to complete a project to create up to 14 “flexible spaces” that can be used for patients with less serious illnesses when the emergency department is particularly busy, Samantha Kirby, communications consultant at IU Health, said by email.
Why is Bloomington’s new hospital having problems with patient care?
Dr. John Sparzo, chief medical officer at IU Health, recently said the local hospital is treating more patients than expected, partly because:
- The community is experiencing a larger influx of retirees than expected.
- The Bloomington hospital used to be able to transfer patients to the Bedford hospital, but today this rarely happens, largely because a competing hospital in that community closed.
- IU Health Bloomington offers a wider range of specialized services that previously required patients to travel to Indianapolis.
- Patients sometimes have difficulty figuring out where to go for care. A significant percentage of patients who come to the emergency room could receive adequate care in another setting, such as urgent care or a primary care physician, Sparzo said. Patients suffering from conditions that are life-threatening or may result in permanent disability — severe bleeding, chest pain, severe burns or seizures — should come to the emergency room. However, people with conditions that are not life-threatening but require urgent care — flu-like symptoms, earaches, broken bones — can seek care in an urgent care setting.
Options: IU Health opens emergency practice on Bloomington’s west side
Kirby said Clapp, the fire marshal, was at the hospital to inspect the buildout of an administrative area related to a partnership with the IU School of Medicine. She said the area was previously unfinished and had been reserved for this project, which is now complete.
You can reach Boris Ladwig at [email protected].
