AVONDALE, Ohio - Cincinnati Children's Hospital is seeing close to double number of patients in the emergency department.
A spokesperson says they usually average 300 a day but one day last week doctors saw close to 700 patients for both the Avondale and Liberty Township locations.
This week the hospital officials sent a letter to community pediatricians that are also members of medical staff to volunteer and get paid for their time to see patients at the emergency department and urgent care locations for flu related illness.
Kynnedi Evans of Fairfield just got out of the emergency room at Children's Hospital.
Her father brought her there due to an ear infection. The two year old girl didn't mind wearing a mask.
"As you can come in you registrate in and they give everyone masks to stop the germs from spreading," said Kenneth Evans, Kynnedi's father.
Its just one of many precautions taking place at Children's Hospital.
The Medical Center is also limiting the number of people inside their emergency departments and urgent care clinics.
"With the crowd, they are performing as well as they can. If you think you have the flu they put you in another area of the hospital to protect all the other patients," said Mila Berry of College Hill.
This is Mila Berry's second visit to Children's Hospital this week. She brought her grandchildren on Friday for specialty visits.
On Thursday, the College Hill mom brought her daughter here due to flu like symptoms.
"You just panic. No one wants anything to happen to their children. So rather than not to go like some people have done and lost their children they take them. Its being a protective parent," said Berry.
Doctors however are urging parents not to panic.
So in addition to pediatricians, Children's Hospital is also requesting help from faculty staff.
The extra staff is to help out with the overflow of patients that are having flu like symptoms.
