Over 9 Hour Wait at Hasbro ER, Says Rhode Island Mother — “Something Needs to Be Done”

Over 9 Hour Wait at Hasbro ER, Says Rhode Island Mother — “Something Needs to Be Done”

A Rhode Island mother said that she was told the wait time would be 9 hours to see a doctor, when she brought her toddler to Hasbro Children’s Hospital early Wednesday morning with what she said were worrying health issues.

Melissa DaRosa said when her three-year-old daughter was throwing up regularly and getting increasingly lethargic in the middle of the night, that she tried to reach her pediatrician’s after-hours number. 

She said she left a message but no one called her back, and her concerns began to grow. 

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So she packed up her daughter and belongings and went to Hasbro — where she saw shocked at what she encountered. 

“I had tried to do the preventative thing. But my daughter was throwing up as she was falling asleep. I knew I had to get her something,” said DaRosa.

 

Overwhelmed ER 

When DaRosa arrived at Hasbro shortly before 3 AM Wednesday morning, she said she noticed families in their cars in the parking lot — which she said she didn’t think much of, until she went into the ER. 

DaRosa — who is a Pawtucket City Councilor  — said the entrance was filled with families and young children, and when she finally got to an initial intake professional, she said he “looked exhausted.”

“He said this is going to be a slow night — meaning the ability to respond to patients,” said DaRosa. “I told him I called my doctor, I just needed a script. He took our info and put a bracelet on my daughter.”

“When we finally saw the triage nurse, she was similarly tired and stressed out,” DaRosa told GoLocal.  “She told me it was going to be a 'nine hours and six-minute wait' to see a doctor."

DaRosa said the nurse was able to administer medicine to her daughter to stop the vomiting, but DaRosa said she did not plan to wait around to see the doctor. 

“All there was in the ER waiting area were metal folding chairs. I wanted my daughter to be comfortable, so I took her home and hoped the medicine would work,” said DaRosa. 

When GoLocal spoke with DaRosa Wednesday morning, she was still "technically on the waiting list."

DaRosa said she knew that “RSV” — respiratory syncytial virus — has been going around, and suspected her daughter might have even had it last week. 

“She was out of daycare several days with a bad cough,” said DaRosa. “I’m a single mom. There’s only so much time I can take off work. And it’s only the first week of November."

DaRosa questioned why the state is not bringing in the National Guard to address the situation. 

“They did it during COVID, why not now?” said DaRosa. “I just got out of the baby stage with my daughter. I felt awful for the parents waiting in the ER with infants that might have been struggling to breathe or worse.” 

While DaRosa said she wasn’t able to get her regular pediatrician’s answering service to return her call during the night, she said what her regular doctor told her previously stuck with her.

“He said, unless your child is turning blue, or their arm is falling off, don’t go to the ER,” said DaRosa. “I feel bad that there must be so many sick kids at home who aren’t being seen.” 

 

RIDOH Responds -- Hasbro Silent

On Wednesday, Lifespan spokesperson Kathleen Hart did not respond to request for comment about the status of Hasbro's ER, staffing levels, RSV cases and more.

Rhode Island Department of Health spokesperson Joseph Wendelken sent the following statement. 

Emergency departments triage patients based on their acuity. Patients with more serious health issues are seen first. The acuity of this patient’s health issue may have been a factor in his or her wait. That being said, we do know that there are long wait times in the emergency departments in all hospitals in Rhode Island right now. This is true throughout the region. This has to do with a number of factors, including the national shortage of healthcare providers (especially nurses), and the ongoing behavioral health crisis.

We are in regular communication with hospital leadership on this issue to explore short term and long term solutions. In those meetings, Hasbro has reported being reporting very significant volume. However, their census numbers fluctuate by day.

Parents should know that many of the basic prevention measures that help prevent against the flu and COVID-19 also help prevent against RSV. All Rhode Islanders should:

• Get their flu shots. Everyone older than six months of age should be vaccinated every year. For information on where to get a flu shot, see health.ri.gov/flu.
• Be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. For many people, that means getting a booster. For information on how to get vaccinated against COVID-19, see C19vaccineRI.org.  
• Stay home if you are sick and keep children home from school if they are sick. 
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow. 
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, and school.