GREENSBORO, N.C. — When you have a medical emergency you rush to the hospital. The goal is to get help as soon as possible, but right now, wait times in emergency departments are getting longer and longer.
Cone Health said it's because of the surge in COVID-19 positive patients and a staffing shortage.
WFMY News 2 spoke with one woman whose 87-year-old father waited at Moses Cone's emergency room overnight.
Betty Wicker lives in Charlotte, but her dad lives in Sedalia. She said her father needed to go to the hospital earlier this month. He has a history of strokes and he had another one.
He was waiting in the hospital around 7 p.m., but he didn't get treatment until around 3 a.m.
"I needed to talk to somebody because my dad may die sitting in that waiting room," Wicker said.
While living in Charlotte, Wicker had to stay in constant communication with family members trying to figure out why her father had to wait so long to be treated at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro.
"My dad has periodic times when he can just be sitting and his mouth twists. He will stroke out." she said.
This is why she needed him to be looked at as soon as possible. Instead, eight hours passed by.
Cone Health said there are multiple reasons why folks are having to wait. Along with COVID-19 patients, nursing staff shortages cause beds to not open as quickly.
Cone Health also said they are also seeing more people with seasonal flu and RSV.
"There are other people too that are sick and their illnesses are just as important. Some of them are life and death type of things," Wicker said.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist also has patients experiencing long ED wait times. They are urging patients without serious injuries or health conditions to speak with someone virtually through their virtual care program.
"That can be accessed to tell you, one, do you need to come to the emergency department right away, and if not, we can sometimes complete your care without you even having to leave the safety of your home," said Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Emergency Medical Director Meagan Hunt.
Cone Health also has a telehealth option for those who have non-emergency needs. They are urging people who do have an emergency, to not to put off care, but to call 911.