Advocate Aurora Health: COVID hospitalizations reach pandemic high
MILWAUKEE - COVID-19 hospitalizations have reached a pandemic high. The recent surge in cases is also leaving hospitals short-handed.
"We had a shortage prior to this particular surge. Some of that was due to the emotional and physical toll that the pandemic has taken on team members, and some of that is due to other factors either in work environment or supply of nurses," said Mary Beth Kingston, Advocate Aurora's chief nursing officer.
The extreme surge in COVID-19 cases is also leaving some staff sick. Hospital leaders are now implementing short-term incentives for employees to work longer hours.
"We are doing smaller things too like having snacks on the unit so people can grab something to eat and have some rooms where it’s a little bit quieter where they can take a little bit of time to refresh," Kingston said.
Mary Beth Kingston
In addition, many elective surgeries are being postponed.
Advocate Aurora is working with other team members who are not direct care providers to pick up some of the slack.
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"We are postponing or delaying – not canceling, but rescheduling certain procedures to times and places where there is appropriate staffing and space and capacity to perform those procedures safely," said Jeff Bahr, Advocate Aurora's chief medical group officer.
Health experts are urging people to continue practicing safety precautions – and to get vaccinated or boosted to help prevent the number of COVID-19 cases from getting higher and higher.
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"We are seeing such an increase in transmissibility that we have more and more people infected so we’re going to see more hospitalizations. It’s almost a matter of proportion," Kingston said.
Due to the COVID-19 surge, Advocate Aurora re-implemented a "no visitors" policy. The urgent care locations that have been temporarily closed are scheduled to reopen on Thursday, Jan. 6.
Vaccination appointments via Advocate Aurora Health can be made in one of three ways:
- Scheduled online at aah.org/vaccine
- Via the LiveWell app
- Call 866-443-2584
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