Heat and multi-day blackouts don't go well together. In fact, they can be deadly, overwhelming hospitals with even millions of people suffering from heatstroke or other heat-related illnesses, according to a May 23 New York Times report.

Iowa City-based University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has opened a new 30-room unit for short-stay patients as the system continues to deal with stressful crowding and capacity issues, The Gazette reported April 19.

Methodist Dallas Medical Center is honoring two employees who were killed and ramping up security after an Oct. 22 shooting at the facility.

Staffing shortages are the top threat to patient safety in 2022, according an annual report on patient safety concerns from ECRI, an organization that conducts independent medical device evaluations, published March 14. 

The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Wisconsin is at the highest level of 2021.

Catholic Health's Mercy Hospital of Buffalo (N.Y.) will keep the emergency department at the Mercy Ambulatory Care Center in Orchard Park, N.Y., closed for the next several weeks, the health system announced Nov. 18.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Colorado are at record high levels for 2021 and nearing totals seen during last winter's surge, Colorado Public Radio News reported Nov. 17. 

Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y., has temporarily closed 124 beds because of a nursing shortage, according to CNYCentral.

Minneapolis-based Allina Health has made the decision to move its labor and delivery services from Regina Hospital in Hastings, Minn., to United Hospital and Children's Minnesota, both based in St. Paul, effective Feb. 3, 2022, twincities.com reported Nov. 16.

The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at Henry Ford Health System has increased by nearly 60 percent since late October, the Detroit-based system said Nov. 16.

The combination of staffing shortages, longer patient stays and unmet behavioral health needs is leaving Massachusetts hospitals bracing for "yet another difficult winter," according to the head of the state's hospital association.

Catholic Health's Mercy Hospital of Buffalo (N.Y.) said it expects to reopen emergency services at the Mercy Ambulatory Care Center in Orchard Park, N.Y., this month.

The American Hospital Association released its latest edition of the COVID-19 Snapshot Nov. 11, underscoring the persisting challenges hospitals face amid the pandemic.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services and University of New Mexico Health activated crisis standards of care Nov. 11 for their Albuquerque metro hospitals, which are facing challenges managing patient needs amid a COVID-19 surge.

Good Samaritan Society - Bethany, a senior living facility in Brainerd, Minn., is partnering with the state to serve as an alternative care facility and relieve hospitals overwhelmed during the latest COVID-19 surge, Gov. Tim Walz announced Nov. 10.

Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare is seeking approval to permanently close its maternity ward at Windham (Conn.) Hospital.

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have fallen nationwide in recent weeks, but many hospitals in Michigan are still responding to record high patient levels.

Several hospitals ending inpatient care this year cited lower patient volume as the reason for scaling back services.

For the first time in its history, Traverse City, Mich.-based Munson Healthcare on Nov. 9 moved to level red pandemic protocols, the highest of the health system's five-stage plan. 

Cheyenne (Wyo.) Regional Medical Center enacted contingency plans amid a surge of patients, Wyoming News Now reported Nov. 8.