John Peter Smith Hospital has declared a "Code Yellow" due to a 25 percent increase in patient demand at its emergency room this week.
The hospital has also temporarily increased its sign-on bonus to $10,000 for registered nurses in the emergency department. The regular sign-on bonus is $6,000 for registered nurses in the JPS Health Network.
Hospital officials said "no single health concern" has led to the increase in patients seeking emergency services.
The emergency department typically sees about 320 patients a day but has recorded as many as 423 patients in a day in the past week.
"There are sick patients in Tarrant County and right now we are overwhelmed," said Jesse DeWaard, the executive director of JPS emergency services, in a written statement.
Hospital officials are asking that people with minor illnesses should visit an urgent care center, a JPS clinic or their primary care physician instead of going to the emergency room.
