Brigham and Women's ER Swells to 152 Patients for 61 Rooms
Updated
Updated · STAT · Sep 9
Brigham and Women's ER Swells to 152 Patients for 61 Rooms
1 articles · Updated · STAT · Sep 9
Summary
152 patients were in and around Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s emergency department on an early September evening, even though the unit has only 61 acute-care rooms.
59 patients were already inside the ER itself, forcing staff to place beds in hallways and around central workstations as the 2022 facility struggled to handle demand by 2025.
Christopher Baugh, an emergency physician at the Boston hospital, said the mismatch makes it impossible to properly see 152 patients in 61 rooms.
The crowding underscores how quickly a recently opened emergency department has outgrown its space, turning hallway care into a routine condition rather than an exception.