As hospitals across the U.S. grapple with a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations fueled by the highly transmissible delta variant, some are postponing nonemergency procedures to ensure they can adequately care for critical coronavirus patients.
More than 98,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. as of Sept. 15, according to data from The New York Times.
In Nebraska, Gov. Pete Ricketts declared a hospital staffing emergency Aug. 26 and ordered the state's hospitals to limit nonemergency surgeries through at least Sept. 30.
Here are 13 more hospitals and health systems that have halted nonemergency surgeries in September:
1. Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare is pausing nonemergency surgeries, including endoscopy and cardiac procedures at some of its locations, a spokesperson told Becker's. Some cases that require an overnight stay or intensive care unit bed are were also being postponed as of Sept. 9. Each of the system's 16 hospitals are making its own decision regarding nonemergency surgery delays.
2. Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital canceled all nonessential outpatient surgeries and procedures Sept. 8 after a "labor-intensive" Labor Day weekend. The hospital's CEO John Haupert said, "Seriously ill patients with COVID-19 and other significant health issues inundated the hospital."
3. Nonemergency procedures and those requiring an overnight hospital stay at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, and Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Nampa, Idaho, are postponed through Sept. 18
4. Boise, Idaho-based St. Luke's health system began pausing some nonemergency inpatient and outpatient surgeries and procedures at its Boise, Elmore, Meridian and Nampa facilities Sept. 1. At St. Luke's Magic Valley in Twin Falls, nonemergency surgery, catheterization lab, interventional radiology and endoscopy procedures requiring hospitalization afterward will not take place through Sept. 12.
5. Portland, Maine-based MaineHealth is postponing some nonemergency surgical procedures at its hospitals with no "end in sight to when we can resume normal capacity," said Joan Boomsma, MD, the system's CMO, adding that surgeries were cut by 30 percent last week at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Surgeries requiring hospital admission afterward have been postponed at all of the system's hospitals, The Portland Press Herald reports.
6. Nonemergency surgeries at Greenville, S.C.-based Prisma Health Upstate community hospitals are being paused through at least Sept. 17. At the system's Greenville Memorial Hospital, inpatient nonemergency surgeries set for Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 are postponed, Greenville News reports.
7. Carteret Health Care in Morehead City, N.C., suspended nonemergency inpatient procedures Sept. 7, with hospital officials evaluating the decision on when to resume normal capacity daily, the Carteret News-Times reports.
8. Richmond, Ind.-based Reid Health is pausing all nonemergency inpatient surgeries across the system, effective Sept. 9. "All scheduled surgeries will be reviewed for urgency, and the surgeon's office will reach out to those patients who need to be rescheduled," the health system said in a Sept. 8 announcement.
9. Oregon Health & Science University, an academic medical center in Portland is postponing all outpatient surgeries.
"Surgical postponements initially impacted patients who needed an overnight stay, but most recently has impacted all outpatient surgeries and procedures," Erik Robinson, a spokesperson for the medical center, told NPR.
10. Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Wash., started pausing all nonemergency surgeries and procedures Sept. 15.
11. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare began postponing all nonurgent surgeries and procedures requiring hospital admission or postoperative inpatient monitoring at 13 of its hospitals Sept. 15.
12. Minneapolis-based Allina Health is delaying some nonemergency surgeries up to 90 days, local CBS affiliate WCCO reported Sept.15.
13. Chillicothe, Ohio-based Adena Health System began rescheduling all nonemergency surgical procedures that require an overnight stay Sept. 15.