Hospitals are being forced to make adjustments, to try to maintain capacity amid the spike in COVID-19 cases.
“Our hospitals and health care workforce are being inundated,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box said during Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference. “A number of our hospitals have gone on diversion recently, which means they are sending patients elsewhere. Many other hospitals around the state report delaying scheduled procedures or repurposing spaces like ambulance bays to hold patients until a bed becomes available.”
Box pointed out that hospitals not only have to think about COVID-19 patients but also have to have room for those with other health emergencies. “That might be the patient with heart disease, or as the governor mentioned, the patient with cancer,” Box said. “And it’s critical. We want every Hoosier to be able to get the best care for whatever their health care problem or issue is.”
The health commissioner is calling on hospitals to put evidence-based criteria in place to reprioritize procedures, to make sure that there’s enough room for all patients.
