As COVID-19 cases soar, Cleveland Clinic is postponing nonessential surgical cases that require an inpatient hospital stay at most of its Ohio hospitals for Friday, Nov. 13, and Monday, Nov. 16 in the interest of ensuring it has “the staffing and resources needed to continue safely caring for our patients,” according to a statement from the system.
This week, Ohio reached the highest number of new COVID-19 cases, cracking 6,500 in one day. In 50 days, COVID-19 patients in Ohio hospitals increased 350%, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.
The Clinic is about 90% full.
“Not only in our enterprise but throughout the region and also the state, we’ve noticed in last 10 to 14 days a dramatic increase in hospital admissions,” said Dr. Alice Kim, medical director in medical operations and staff physician in infectious disease at the Clinic. “What we’re trying to do, really on the Cleveland Clinic side, is to just be proactive and make sure that we continue to safely care for our patients. So, we really want to ensure that we have the right personnel and the resources needed to keep the patients safe.”
MetroHealth, University Hospitals and Summa Health are not currently postponing surgeries or procedures. All three continue to monitor the situation and have plans in place if they were to approach capacity.
Hospitals are working together to balance their patient loads. Kim said the Clinic’s ability to support other systems that may need to transfer patients also contributed to its decision to postpone procedures.
The Clinic currently has about 580 caregivers who are off work because they are either diagnosed with or quarantined due to COVID-19. In July, during the last peak of cases, there were 280 or so caregivers out at a time. Because health care workers are becoming infected at a similar rate as the community, these are not believed to be internally acquired cases but evidence of community spread. A Clinic spokesperson said the system is not currently experiencing staffing shortages.
“Patient and caregiver safety is our top priority, and this decision will preserve hospital beds and supplies to ensure all patients have an optimal experience,” according to the Clinic statement, which notes it will re-evaluate scheduled surgical cases on an ongoing basis.
The system is monitoring its supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE); bed availability; and personnel.
Continuing to practice safety guidelines — masking, social distancing, hand hygiene — are critical, especially as winter and holidays approach.
“The one thing we want to make sure is that the community understands that we are still open to take care of patients,” Kim said, noting that the postponed procedures are a small, selective group. “It’s safe to come to our facilities, especially if they have essential needs.”