Elective procedures at Parkview Medical Center to slow down

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo will be reducing the number of its elective procedures COVID-19 cases increase in the community.

Leslie Barnes, the CEO of the hospital, said staff will monitor elective procedures on a case-by-case basis. However, Outpatient care, emergency services and women services will continue as before.

"Our hope is we remain completely functioning on all of our exceptional services," Barnes said. "However, bed capacity remains tight and we need to be proactive and cautious so we are prepared to handle the increase in positive COVID-19 cases."

Pueblo County has seen a large uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases, doubling its numbers within the last two weeks to more than 3400 positive tests.

The last time elective procedures were halted in Colorado was in the spring. Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order restricting non-essential procedures to keep resources available for COVID-19 patients and to reduce possible spread.

Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar spoke about the struggles Steel City hospitals are currently going through during an online press conference.

"Our medical facilities in the City of Pueblo are being stressed in terms of the number of patients that they have, COVID patients,” Gradisar says.

The mayor saying hospitals are becoming short staffed with nurses and doctors having to quarantine and ICU beds getting filled. He warns it's possible that if this trend continues, some patients may have to be turned away.

“We can’t have everyone getting sick at the same time otherwise some bad decisions will have to be made about who gets treatment and who doesn’t and that’s not a position we want to put our community in,” Gradisar says.

However, a spokesperson for Parkview Medical Center says while they have had close calls, no one has been turned away and they have not reached maximum capacity for ICU beds. By slowing down elective surgeries their goal is to free up staff and beds.