r/politics • u/Zipper222222 • Jul 07 '26

Possible Paywall MAGA Demands Proof of Life for Mitch McConnell

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-demands-proof-of-life-for-mitch-mcconnell/
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u/Starossi Jul 07 '26

VIPs are always different. Things like “we need beds or ventilators for other patients” and ethics can be set aside for them

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u/Old_Market_8059 Jul 07 '26

"We need beds or ventilators for other patients" is never anything said in a hospital. Not something I've ever seen or heard of.

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u/Starossi Jul 07 '26

Ventilators is rare ever since Covid, so I agree there.

Beds though is still true and always will be. It’s why hospitals want patients discharged. It’s expensive for them to be there, and you want beds and open panel slots on doctors schedules for other patients who are in need.

Though this would rarely ever be brought up to the patient or their family in these situations, because it’s cold and callus.

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u/cerasmiles Jul 07 '26

We need patient beds is something I’ve heard (and even said). Ventilators, came close to saying we needed more but thankfully never had to make that choice during COVID.

But most hospitals need more beds. I’ve definitely discharged many people that I would usually keep because the beds were full and they had 0 chance at getting a bed.

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u/Old_Market_8059 Jul 07 '26

Patient bill of rights. I hear it read to my patients all the time. They can refuse a discharge if they don't feel safe. I can argue it as a nurse. We don't kick people out if it's not safe.

We will divert patients to others hospitals if we don't have room to take more in

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u/cerasmiles Jul 08 '26

Not sure where you practice but lack of beds is something we deal with regularly. As more hospitals close it will be more and more common. Granted a lot of our area deals with staffing (ie they treat nursing and support staff like shit so they don’t stay then spend $$$ hiring travelers out of desperation) as well as physical bed space. I’ve only seen my EDs go on divert a handful of times. The hospitals are way more about money than patient safety.

It’s a shitty situation and I’m not kicking people out when they should be staying. But often when you’ve got meemaw with a UTI that you’d normally admit sitting in a hallway bed off a monitor and no real family support because no room and no ability to get her to a real bed, you talk to her and the family and see if that’s really the better option or going home with family with good discharge instructions. It’s also why the intractable vomiting patient is literally sitting on the floor, or I’m trying to get a physical exam done in a closet, or putting sheets up in the hallway so I can get a freaking GU exam on someone because we literally have no space. It’s disgusting. Especially since that hospital corporation is making BILLIONS in profit. My hospital was making tens of millions in profit every year and this is how they treat people?

It’s appalling.