For example, at Duke Health, the healthcare provider told ABC11 that it has seen roughly 60 injuries within the past 48 hours because of the wintry weather. Meanwhile, UNC Hospitals is reporting "a couple dozen" injuries, such as slips, falls, and minor head injuries, at its emergency departments across the Triangle.
"The biggest thing is preparation while you're out there and checking on your neighbors and watch your footing," said UNC's Dr. Abhi Mehrotra, a physician within the emergency department.
Icy sidewalks, steps, driveways, and other potential frozen hazards have landed patients in the emergency room. Also, the weather has prompted WakeMed, Duke Health, and UNC Hospitals to close urgent care facilities for in-person visits. Instead, urgent care centers on Sunday were only seeing patients virtually.
"First aid is appropriate," said Mehrotra when referring to some injuries people may have, and to use "common sense" when deciding whether a visit to a healthcare facility is needed.
"You can utilize the virtual options that are available to you. But we're also here to serve our communities, and if you need to come to the emergency department, we're open to see you," he said. "Wait times are reasonable right now. And of course, we triage based on acuity. So the sicker you are, those patients get seen first."
At the time of publishing, WakeMed has yet to provide emergency room data.
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