With COVID cases surging across the state, hospitals are struggling to keep up with the demand for critical care beds.
Northern Light Health says the sheer volume is forcing providers to prioritize care for those who need it most.
"Unfortunately, we have individuals who are out in the region who require a transfer to higher level care and unfortunately we don't have the beds to be able to accommodate for that....not only across Northern Light Health but across the state and across New England," says Dr. James Jarvis of Northern Light Health.
Jarvis says Northern Light Health doctors are using telehealth to help doctors at rural health care facilities provide treatment to patients with COVID, who cannot be transported.
The Maine Emergency Management Agency is working with the state CDC to determine where 75 National Guard reserves will be assigned to address the COVID burden at Maine hospitals.
Under an order from Gov. Janet Mills, national guard members will assist with vaccines and providing monoclonal antibodies for compromised residents.
Jarvis says they will also help care for patients at long-term care facilities, so patients can be discharged sooner and free up beds.
"Our hospitals have many patients who are really able to be leaving the hospital to got to a long-term care or skilled facility, and those beds aren't available, and so they remain in the hospital taking up crucial hospital beds," he says.
Northern Light Health will be opening new vaccination sites in Portland and Bangor early next week, and encourages anyone ages 16 and older to get their vaccines or boosters scheduled, using its online registration portal.
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, which has just one ICU bed open, is waiting to hear if its request for a response team will be granted by FEMA.
Chief Medical Officer John Alexander says that in the meantime, Maine National Guard members will help set up an extra skilled nursing unit in an empty wing of the hospital to free up critical care beds.
"Some of them are going to be helping us to support opening a skilled nursing facility unit that will help us with the backlog of patients who have healed from the standpoint of needing an acute care hospital, but now require either long term care, rehab care or a skilled nursing facility, and there just isn't the capacity out in our communities to care of these patients," he says.
Alexander says National Guard Members can work as medical assistants to help with patient care. He expects them to arrive early next week.
