Which States Have Hospital Beds Ahead of an Epidemic?

Is America prepared for the next health epidemic? Apparently, some states are more prepared than others, at least in terms of the number of hospital beds available, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by Omega Law Group, a personal injury firm, examined data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on where the number of hospitals, hospital beds and beds for critical care — COVID-19, specialty and general — were found.

The states were ranked by number of hospital beds per 1,000 people. Washington was the state where patients are least likely to find an available bed, at 1.79 hospital beds per 1,000 residents and 1.37 hospitals per 100,000 residents. The second state where residents are least likely to get a bed is Hawaii with 1.85 beds per 1,000 residents. Utah was third with 1.93 beds.

Mississippi residents were the most likely to find a bed, at 4.87 hospital beds per 1,000 residents and 3.78 hospitals per 100,000 residents.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some states struggled to find beds for patients. In Oregon, for example, the situation became so dire that 1,500 National Guard troops had to be deployed to hospitals to defuse arguments between health-care workers and their patients and families.

“We have patients that have died in emergency departments waiting for beds,” Becky Hultberg, president and chief executive of the Hospital Association of Oregon, told the Los Angeles Times in August 2021. “In parts of Oregon, we are looking at a system in a state of collapse.”

According to the study, these are the states with the fewest beds per 1,000 residents:

1. Washington
2. Hawaii
3. Utah
4. Idaho
5. Oregon

States with the most beds per 1,000 residents:

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. West Virginia
4. North Dakota
5. Arkansas

“This study highlights the disparities in health care and access to hospital beds across different states,” the Omega Law Group said in a statement. “It’s crucial for both policymakers and the public to be aware of these differences to address the underlying issues and improve hospital bed availability where it is needed the most.”