AMARILLO, TEXAS -- We received a phone call from a concerned viewer stating that the local hospitals were full and patients were being sent to Lubbock. Pronews Seven looked into the situation and found that both BSA and NWTH in Amarillo are in diversion status.

"In a situation where there is not enough bed capacity to meet the needs of the patients, that's when we go to diversion, and that can change in a short time or sometimes depending on the areas it could be longer," said Caytie Martin, NWTH.

It is not a situation where the hospitals are no longer accepting patients. Emergency room, trauma, and cardiac patients will be taken care of, but some areas of BSA and NWTH are at capacity. In those cases the patients are either transferred to a facility here in town or to a hospital in a different community like Lubbock.

Diversion is really a lateral transfer from one facility to another. For example if BSA is full in one area and NWTH has room in that particular area then BSA would transfer that in-patient over to Northwest and vice versa.

High demand on the hospitals with a variety of illnesses spanning all ages have contributed to the diversion status.

Keep in mind diversion is strictly for in-patient cases, and is only effecting certain areas of the hospitals. Scheduled procedures are not effected, and those with immediate needs and E.R. walk-ins will have no trouble getting in for medical attention.

After a patient goes through the E.R and needs to become an in-patient; then each hospital will have to look at the space and rooms available in that particular area before deciding to keep them or transfer them to another facility.

"We all work our best to not have to go on diversion, and when it does occur we work together as a community in the health care arena to make this as best as we can for our patients, for their families, with the physicians, and for the staff. Our number one goal is the safe care of that patient and getting them where they need to be," said Martin, NWTH.