Hospitals in the Chicago area are delaying nonurgent surgeries and other procedures not risking patient safety after a plea to do so from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In a Dec. 30 news release, the governor said he and hospital leaders were making the plea to prepare for a continuing post-holiday COVID-19 surge and ensure healthcare workers are able to handle serious virus cases and other emergencies without jeopardizing patient care. Mr. Pritzker noted that some hospitals have already delayed nonurgent procedures to boost capacity and urged all hospitals to help ensure sufficient capacity in the coming weeks.
Advocate Aurora Health, which has dual headquarters in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, Ill., confirmed that it is among the healthcare organizations delaying and rescheduling certain procedures as needed.
"Like health systems across the country, our COVID inpatient census is rising quickly with the vast majority of patients being unvaccinated. We are monitoring the situation closely. At times, this has resulted in the need to pause or reschedule some [nonurgent] elective procedures, depending on local COVID case numbers, staffing scenarios and bed availability," Advocate Aurora spokesperson Adam Mesirow said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"Urgent and emergent services will continue to be available 24 hours a day, and it is critical that patients seek care when needed," Mr. Mesirow added.
During a press conference Jan. 3, Advocate Aurora Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr, MD, told reporters that the health system is not delaying cancer diagnoses, cancer treatment, or lifesaving or limb-saving surgeries and procedures, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal. For nonurgent care, Dr. Bahr said the health system will be rescheduling "certain procedures to times and places where there is appropriate staffing and space and capacity to perform those surgeries and procedures safely."
Edward-Elmhurst Health told Becker's that it is not scheduling additional elective surgeries until mid-January at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill., and Elmhurst (Ill.) Hospital because of the current surge in COVID-19 cases.
And NorthShore University HealthSystem, a six-hospital system based in Evanston, Ill., has largely suspended elective surgeries for two weeks, said CEO and President J.P. Gallagher, according to the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Gallagher said the health system is also dedicating beds at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, Ill., solely to COVID-19 patients.
Illinois is among the 34 states where COVID-19 hospitalizations are up. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased 52 percent in the state over the past 14 days, according to HHS data presented by The New York Times.
Nationwide, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased 35 percent over the past 14 days while case counts increased 204 percent during that time, the data shows.