New surge in COVID-19 cases: Are Colorado Springs hospitals prepared for local impacts?
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- As hospitals in some states are overwhelmed with admitting and treating COVID-19 cases during the latest spike from the Delta variant, KRDO NewsChannel 13 checked on the situation at local hospitals.
We reached out to Centura Health (Penrose Hospital) and UCHealth (Memorial Hospital) to ask the following questions:
- Is there a concern about an increase in hospitalizations?
2. Is there a plan to accept patients from other states where hospitals are overwhelmed?
3. Will elective surgeries have to be postponed as they were during the first wave of the pandemic last year?
Dr. David Steinbruner, chief medical officer for UCHealth, said that while all of its nearly 500 beds are full, more can be added, if needed.
"We have 53 COVID patients in our four hospitals," he said. "That's more than we've had recently but fewer than we had at the height of the pandemic last year. We're seeing more patients but the increase is in those who are here for conditions besides COVID. Being the only Level 1 trauma center in the region, we see higher demand in the summer and being here is a big help to COVID patients who develop complications."
Steinbruner said that because UCHealth facilities are at capacity, officials will be selective in deciding whether to accept patients from other states.
"We want to ensure that we can care for the patients we have who live in southern Colorado," he said.
Steinbruner said that officials are currently discussing whether to postpone elective surgeries, as was done during the pandemic last year.
"But the biggest worry I have is not having enough nurses," he said. "Many of them are retiring or getting out of the profession and not enough are getting into is, at a time when we really need them."
UCHealth sent a text message to employees Wednesday, notifying them that the the hospitals are on a Code Yellow alert.
"It's sounds a lot more exciting that it actually is," Steinbruner said. "It's just how we activate our surge team and have additional resources ready in case more patients come in."
According to UCHealth statistics, a fourth of its COVID patients are from Colorado counties outside of El Paso County.
Meanwhile, Becky Brockman, a spokeswoman with Centura Health -- which operates Penrose-St. Francis hospitals -- said that a surge in patient numbers has happened yet.
"We are holding steady as a system," she said.
