Colorado deactivated crisis standards of care Feb. 17 for staffing of healthcare systems in the state, about three months after activating them.
The crisis standards of care have been deactivated because "the number of cases of COVID-19 and the number of individual hospitalizations due to COVID-19 has been declining over several weeks," according to an announcement from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Colorado officials previously activated the crisis standards of care Nov. 9, citing staff shortages related to COVID-19, increased workloads and staff burnout.
The move gave hospitals a framework to guide staffing decisions during the pandemic.
Under the crisis standards of care for staffing, hospitals could take steps such as redirecting staff to assist in strained units, ideally with the oversight of an experienced worker, according to The Denver Post.
Facilities could decide on their own when to engage crisis standards of care based on patient volume and other factors.
In addition, the hospital also on Feb. 17 deactivated crisis standards of care for emergency medical systems, which previously were activated in January.