Hospital staff play a "chess game" with patient beds

RITZVILLE – Dr. Charles M. Sackmann gave the medical staff report at the East Adams Rural Hospital Board meeting, Jan. 25, noting transferring patients to other hospitals in the region is a problem.

Hospitals in Spokane and the Tri-cities are near capacity, and may not be taking transfers from rural hospitals, he said.

“Unless a patient presents at the ER at Sacred Heart in Spokane, they probably can’t get a bed there” Sackmann said.

That leaves local hospital staff calling around the state – to Harbor View, Swedish and even University of Washington – looking for a place to transfer patients w...