The additional beds opened in advance will not have been enough to absorb the shock. In turn, Friday January 3, 2025, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6, three hospitals in Carpentras, Avignon and Cavaillon-Lauris triggered their “white plan”, a system which includes a whole battery of emergency measures to deal with an additional of activity.
At the start of the year, health establishments are reaching saturation point due to the “flu epidemic peak with insufficient vaccination coverage” and of “the arrival of all the winter viruses” combined with “difficulties in accessing city care services during the holidays” and to the “closure of beds held by private partners”details Pierre Pinzelli, who heads the three hospitals targeted.
As a result, new bed openings have been ordered and healthcare teams have been assigned as reinforcements while daily crisis units are intended to continually adjust resources to the activity.
Limiting visits and wearing a mask
The transition to a white plan leads to other measures to protect patients and caregivers. Thus, visits are limited and wearing a mask becomes obligatory inside patient rooms, as is the use of hydroalcoholic gel.
This high tension also leads to an increase in waiting times for users who come to the emergency room.. “We thank users for taking the situation into account and remaining respectful and courteous in all circumstances“, insists Pierre Pinzelli.
