Patients are still being diverted from Trumbull to St. Joe's, putting greater strain on Mercy Health's resources. So, is there anything you can do to ensure you get the care you need without contributing to hospital overcrowding? 

Mercy Health doctors told 21 news anyone with less serious issues, like upper respiratory problems or rashes, should visit urgent care. If the patients do decide to go to the emergency room with less serious illnesses, they could have a longer wait time.

In most cases, an urgent care, or a primary care doctor can give you medical help. But, you should get treatment at an emergency room if you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath, severe abdominal pain, or broken bones.

"The minor primary care type problems should really be seen at one of our walk in cares, or an urgent care. That will help the patients get in quicker and in the best place possible," said Dr. James Kravec, Chief medical officer for Youngstown and Lorain Mercy Health.

Although no one will be turned away from an ER, many of the facilities triage patients. Meaning, they will treat more serious injuries and illness first.

Once evaluated, Mercy Health will triage the patients, and send patients to their other facilities if it can better help the patient.

"We are blessed to be able to have that network of patients, physicians, nurses, services, technology. So we want the patient to be in the best spot, where they will receive the best care," said Kravec.

Trumbull Regional Medical Center is only accepting walk-in emergency patients. Any other patients will be rerouted by ambulance to St. Joseph Warren Hospital. Because of this, St. Joe's is preparing for a higher volume of patients.

"We’ve been planning for some time to grow and expand to meet the needs of our community, so with any closures, or things of that event, we’ve already been focusing on how we could expand our services to others," said Dr. Jill Uberti, vice president of medical affairs at St. Joseph Warren Hospital.

Mercy Health has job openings for nurses, technicians, clinical staff and physicians. Kravec said they will continue holding job fairs for anyone interested in working at a Mercy Health facility.

In 2023, Trumbull regional Medical Center had 214 staffed beds. As of now, St. Joe's can hold up to 186 staffed beds at any given time.