As snow piles up in Boston to historic levels, hospitals in the area are scrambling to get discharged patients out and much needed staff in, according to a report from The Boston Globe.
As of Wednesday, Boston had received roughly 77 inches of snow, according to a different The Boston Globe report, and Thursday morning forecasts indicate another six to 10 inches may fall this weekend.
Because of the accumulating snow, many hospitals have had to cancel nonemergency surgeries, hire taxis to transport stranded discharged patients home, rely on Boston police officers to transport staff members to work and ration stockpiles of linens to ensure they wouldn't run out.
Massachusetts General Hospital Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness Paul Biddinger, MD, described the severity of the situation.
"This [snow] has put us in a capacity crisis situation," Dr. Biddinger told The Boston Globe. "Most hospitals are pretty full usually, but at this level it's close to unprecedented."
Staffers at Mass General resorted to sleeping on mattresses in the hospital's conference rooms and some Boston Medical Center staff members skied into work to maintain proper staffing levels, according to the report.
Boston Medical Center served more than 1,000 free lunches to staffers stuck at the facility, according to the report.