Chicago Hospital stopped accepting patients after it hit capacity from weekend’s gunfire

Chicago's Mount Sinai Hospital reached capacity after the number of shootings there.

Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago had to stop accepting patients on Sunday morning because they were at capacity following a series of shootings.

Brianna Rhodes

Aug 6, 2019

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In the midst of news circulating about the unfortunate mass shootings that took place in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, a Chicago hospital on Sunday had to temporarily stop accepting patients because of the multitude of shootings that took place in the city over the weekend.

Chicago’s Mount Sinai Hospital was at capacity on Sunday due to a number of gun shot wound patients needing assistance that morning, CBS News reports.

The hospital had to go “on bypass” which redirected ambulances to other trauma centers in the Windy City.

Although Roberta Rakove, Senior VP for External Affairs for Mount Sinai Hospital could not say when the bypass began, she revealed that it ended around 6:30 a.m. Mount Sinai is one of five trauma centers in Chicago, according to CNN.

Seven people were killed and at least 46 people were injured since Friday, which Chicago officials believe are mostly gang or drug-related.

Anthony Guglielmi, Chicago Police Public Information Officer, told CNN that police responded to the incidents on the west side of Chicago.

“The individuals are carrying illegal guns to settle disputes and to prey on rivals because there are no consequences for carrying guns in the city of Chicago,” said Eddie Johnson, Chicago Police Superintendent to CBS News.

Johnson also revealed on Sunday that there were three shootings that took place over the weekend and all of the incidents are currently under investigation.

The Superintendent also shared his thoughts about the mass shootings that took place in Ohio and Texas as well.

“You have to stop yourself and ask what will it take before we get a handle on what’s going on,” Johnson said, according to CNN. “Not only in Chicago, but across the country.”

“From police departments to the court systems to prosecutors to legislators — we have to come together and figure out more common-sense solutions to these problems because clearly too many of our citizens are being shot and killed.”