USA Today: An ER visit could save your health or life. Don't avoid hospitals during COVID pandemic

A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlights a very worrisome trend in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Increasingly, people are not seeking emergency and potentially lifesaving care.

During the first five months of this year, the number of visits to emergency departments for life-threatening illnesses has declined by 42%. It appears that fear of COVID-19 is causing patients to avoid getting urgent care, even for life-threatening events like strokes and heart attacks.

Dr. Melinda Estes, Saint Luke's Health System President and CEO, wrote an opinion piece in USA Today about why it's crucial not to delay seeking emergency care and what hospitals are doing to keep patients safe.

Read the full USA Today opinion piece: An ER visit could save your health or life. Don't avoid hospitals during COVID pandemic.

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