Hospitals across metro Phoenix are running hot as a sudden crush of seasonal respiratory viruses sends more patients to emergency rooms and inpatient units. Clinicians say areas that usually see a steady, routine flow are filling quickly, with nurses and emergency doctors reporting longer waits, limited staffed beds and mounting pressure on pediatric services that is starting to feel a lot like the worst stretches of the pandemic.
Three of the Valley’s biggest systems – Banner Health, Dignity Health and Valleywise Health – are reporting unusually high volumes of influenza and other upper respiratory infections, and some units have been forced to double up patients when space runs short, according to Arizona’s Family. “We haven’t seen this since COVID,” a nurse told…..