FORT WORTH, Texas — It's been nonstop at Cook Children's Emergency Department in Fort Worth.
This week, the hospital has been overwhelmed with a spike in patients. In a 24-hour period, the emergency room saw 603 patients. Cook Children's Urgent Care Centers saw 760 patients in that same time frame.
"This is the very first small peak that we've seen, and we have not peaked out," said Natalie Carpenter, Director of Emergency Services. She warns this is not something to take lightly as it's only the beginning of cold and flu season. She estimates the number increasing to 700 patients a day at the peak.
ER Physician Dr. Daniel Guzman has never seen numbers like this in his 21 years at Cook Children's. He said RSV is one of the main concerns.
Dr. Guzman said, "Our ICU is filled with kids with RSV. We have a total capacity of about 38. We have 28 beds filled with RSV at this time."
The staff is torn, having to turn some patients away and transport others to hospitals out of state.
"I need them to understand what a difficult situation that we're in," said Debbie Boudreaux, Assistant Vice President of Nursing. "As a nurse that has been here for 35 years, I have never had to turn anyone away."
She said this is the first time patients have to be sent somewhere else for capacity, and it breaks her heart to do so. Boudreaux is asking parents to keep kids home from school if they are sick. And contact a pediatrician first unless an ER visit is necessary.