# A Texas hospital is so overrun with coronavirus cases that officials say it will send the patients least likely to survive home to die



## Robert59 (Jul 24, 2020)

*A Texas county said it was forming a committee to decide which coronavirus patients were most likely to die and send them home to their families.*
*Starr County Memorial Hospital is overrun with coronavirus cases, and hospitals elsewhere in Texas and in nearby states are also full, officials said.*
*The county's health authority said the "situation is desperate" and "there is nowhere to put these patients."*
https://news.yahoo.com/texas-hospital-overrun-coronavirus-cases-124224673.html


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## MarciKS (Jul 24, 2020)

Those poor people!  To me that just seems so inhumane.


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## CarolfromTX (Jul 25, 2020)

Starr county is in the Rio Grande valley. Population 66,000 people. It has had 1,559 cases of Covid-19. Your headline and article  is inflammatory and highly biased. As are you, Robert. Just keeping it real.


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## Becky1951 (Jul 25, 2020)

CarolfromTX said:


> Starr county is in the Rio Grande valley. Population 66,000 people. It has had 1,559 cases of Covid-19. Your headline and article  is inflammatory and highly biased. As are you, Robert. Just keeping it real.


Its not 'his" article. Its news that he shared. Don't shoot the messenger for wanting to share news. We all can decide for ourselves to read or scroll past. We all can decide to believe what we read or not. I read the same article and was going to post it, however saw the Robert had already done so. Thank you Robert for keeping us informed.


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## JustBonee (Jul 25, 2020)

Robert59 said:


> A Texas county said it was forming a committee to decide which coronavirus patients were most likely to die and *send them home* to their families.
> Starr County Memorial Hospital is overrun with coronavirus cases, and hospitals elsewhere in Texas and in nearby states are also full, officials said.
> The county's health authority said the "situation is desperate" and "there is nowhere to put these patients."
> https://news.yahoo.com/texas-hospital-overrun-coronavirus-cases-124224673.html



"Home"  is probably over the border in Mexico.  ..very poor area down there,  with little resources.  Surprised that they even have a hospital.


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## Butterfly (Jul 27, 2020)

MarciKS said:


> Those poor people!  To me that just seems so inhumane.



It may seem inhumane, but I don't think they have any other reasonable choice.  It's like battlefield triage.


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## squatting dog (Jul 27, 2020)

There are 28 patients in the county's COVID care unit, three of whom are on ventilators and life support. 
Sorry, but this is what happens when you're in a county that only has one hospital. We had a similar problem with an overwhelmed hospital years ago as the retiree population swelled, and  until a second one was built nearby, patient dumping was a common occurrence. 
As usual, these news outlets run a (sky is falling) headline, hoping nobody will check the story. 
28 covid patients and only 3 on ventilators ??? come on folks.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 27, 2020)

This is very sad news--I think they should _somehow_ try to make more room like they have in other places like my state.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 27, 2020)

Bonnie said:


> "Home"  is probably over the border in Mexico.  ..very poor area down there,  with little resources.  Surprised that they even have a hospital.


Home is where your bed is.  It might be a piece of dirt under a bridge or a king size bed in a mansion, it might change night to night or remain stable, but where you sleep that is home.  As for assuming home might be over the border because someone lives in a poor area with little resources.  Ever been to Watts?  Or Ohio?  Or the Deep South?  

Or a million places in the good old USA, that are poor and have little resources.


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## JustBonee (Jul 27, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Home is where your bed is.  It might be a piece of dirt under a bridge or a king size bed in a mansion, it might change night to night or remain stable, but where you sleep that is home.  As for assuming home might be over the border because someone lives in a poor area with little resources.  Ever been to Watts?  Or Ohio?  Or the Deep South?
> 
> Or a million places in the good old USA, that are poor and have little resources.



That area is the Texas-Mexico border...   there isn't much to assume about the people down  there or their  lifestyle if you've ever been there.  

Deep South? ...huh?   Look at a map.


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## AnnieA (Jul 27, 2020)

It's called triage and happens in times of disaster. Other states set criteria early on.  I do, however, think there should be makeshift hospice units available as an alternative instead of sending patients home if there's no one capable of caring for them.  If there are caregivers at home, then those unlikely to survive should be sent home with hospice services. 

Graph from link above illustrating Alabama's policy:


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## Don M. (Jul 27, 2020)

As quickly as this virus can get out of control in a specific location, it is probably nearly impossible for smaller hospitals to suddenly increase their capacities by any substantial amount.  Since this is a nation wide epidemic, there may not even be many options for transferring patients to larger hospitals.  If this virus doesn't show signs of slowing down soon, there may be several locations around the country having to make hard choices about treating those with little hope for recovery.


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## fmdog44 (Jul 27, 2020)

And the numbers just keep getting higher and higher.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 28, 2020)

Bonnie said:


> That area is the Texas-Mexico border...   there isn't much to assume about the people down  there or their  lifestyle if you've ever been there.
> 
> Deep South? ...huh?   Look at a map.


My daughter lives in El Paso, a border town, and she, and her family, had the virus.  She didn't return to Mexico, she is not poor, she is not from Mexico, and her lifestyle is whatever she wants it to be.  She is college educated, makes over six figures, and does very well.  She is bilingual.

She does not have a prejudice bone in her body.  Your assumptions are wrong.


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## JustBonee (Jul 28, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> My daughter lives in El Paso, a border town, and she, and her family, had the virus.  She didn't return to Mexico, she is not poor, she is not from Mexico, and her lifestyle is whatever she wants it to be.  She is college educated, makes over six figures, and does very well.  She is bilingual.
> 
> She does not have a prejudice bone in her body.  Your assumptions are wrong.




Again .... The Rio Grande Valley   is nowhere near El Paso ... El Paso is a  prosperous city hundreds  of miles away to the west. 
Again  ...   look at a map.


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## Judycat (Jul 28, 2020)

So sad this is happening. If the hospital can't handle them all, what else can they do? Put them in the basement? On the roof? Out on the street? At least they'll be in a familiar environment at home. I'd rather be home than stuck in a corner somewhere watching strangers go by.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 28, 2020)

Bonnie said:


> Again .... The Rio Grande Valley   is nowhere near El Paso ... El Paso is a  prosperous city hundred of miles away to the west.
> Again  ...   look at a map.


I don’t have to look at a map.  Generalizing the prosperity of a people is ridiculous.  Comparing what you consider prosperity to what someone else considers prosperity is a judgement no one is qualified to make. 

A person who sleeps on the ground will indeed feel prosperous when they find a large box to sleep in.  A person without a blanket will indeed find themselves prosperous when given a blanket.  JC slept on the ground in a cave and had little access to services.  Yet, he was beloved of GOD.

IMO, you are wrong.


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## StarSong (Jul 28, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Home is where your bed is.  It might be a piece of dirt under a bridge or a king size bed in a mansion, it might change night to night or remain stable, but where you sleep that is home.  As for assuming home might be over the border because someone lives in a poor area with little resources.  *Ever been to Watts?  *Or Ohio?  Or the Deep South?
> 
> Or a million places in the good old USA, that are poor and have little resources.


Watts is less poor than you apparently imagine, with a current median house price of $400K. There are plenty of excellent medical and other resources nearby, and there always have been. Please do not perpetuate old stereotypes about that city.


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## JustBonee (Jul 28, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> IMO, you are wrong.



Facts are facts ...  I can't help you.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 28, 2020)

StarSong said:


> Watts is less poor than you apparently imagine, with a current median house price of $400K. There are plenty of excellent medical and other resources nearby, and there always have been. Please do not perpetuate old stereotypes about that city.


Yup it is an old stereotype.  I apologize.  It was that way when I lived nearby which was decades ago.


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## Aneeda72 (Jul 28, 2020)

Bonnie said:


> Facts are facts ...  I can't help you.


I don’t remember asking you for help.


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