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IU Health Bloomington Hospital pays for some patients to transfer to Bedford

IU Health is paying to move some patients from its Bloomington Hospital to Bedford and other facilities to avoid slow service and overcrowding. 

Spokesperson Samantha Kirby said it’s one way the hospital is addressing long wait times for inpatient beds. 

Patients have reported issues at the hospital since it opened almost three years ago, with some spending the night on cots in hallways. 

Read more:  Bloomington hospitals conserve IV fluid amid national shortage

Kirby said patients can get faster care at other hospitals in the network. IU Health pays the cost of transporting patients. 

Officials with IU Health have acknowledged overcrowding is an issue and attributed it to lack of space, not staffing problems. 

IU Health Bedford Hospital is around 40 minutes from its Bloomington counterpart. 

Ethan Sandweiss is a multimedia journalist for Indiana Public Media. He has previously worked with KBOO News as an anchor, producer, and reporter. Sandweiss was raised in Bloomington and graduated from Reed College with a degree in History.