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Oklahoma Children's Hospital sees more patients amid respiratory season

OU Health

Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health is seeing higher patient volumes in its emergency department, with influenza and RSV cases on the rise. Officials say although your wait time might be longer, Oklahoma Children’s is prepared to meet patients’ needs.

Dr. Stephanie DeLeon, the hospital’s associate chief medical officer for children’s services, said typical volumes of 100 patients per day have risen to about 170 in the facility’s emergency department. State dashboards show flu test positivity rates are at 13.8% as of Jan. 4, and RSV test positivity is at 13.6%.

DeLeon said the hospital is prepared for its “typical respiratory season surge.” She said its inpatient beds are well-staffed, and the hospital has increased its medicine capacity for patients who need to be admitted.

“Our goal really is to never turn away a patient that needs our care,” DeLeon said. “And so, while it certainly may be busier in our emergency room if families come in – we may have long wait times – we will be able to take care of the kids who need us.”

DeLeon said families don’t necessarily have to come straight to the emergency room or urgent care if their child is sick. She encourages Oklahomans to check in with their pediatrician or family physician.

“Urgent care is great if their pediatrician or family physician doesn't have the ability to get them in quickly, but we really do want to save the emergency room for the kids that are having difficulty breathing or may be dehydrated or the other non-influenza-like illness emergencies that are there,” DeLeon said. “Because if we're bringing kids in who don't really need the emergency room, it just makes the wait times a little bit longer. So it helps everyone.”

To prevent illness, DeLeon recommends making sure kids cough into their arms, wash their hands and get their flu shots.

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Jillian Taylor has been StateImpact Oklahoma's health reporter since August 2023.
StateImpact Oklahoma
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