Hospital ER Visits Up 20% During Heat Wave
WNYC News | Jul 12, 2010
New York, NY —
Hospital emergency rooms are busier as a result of the heat wave. One administrator at Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx estimated ER visits had jumped 20 percent or more in the last two days.
Only one person there was treated for severe overheating, but ER chief Dr. Orlando Parales says the high temperatures adversely affect people with a range of conditions.
PARALES: A patient who has diabetes, hypertension, any other type of pathology might be influenced by this situation.
REPORTER: As of last evening, the city said there had not been any heat-related fatalities, but there were about 6500 EMS calls and 200 ambulance runs linked to the soaring temperatures.
