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Sacred Heart, Holy Family hospitals postpone some surgeries due to influx of COVID patients

Starting Wednesday, Dec. 2, the Providence hospitals in Spokane began rescheduling some elective surgeries and procedures.

SPOKANE, Wash — An influx of coronavirus patients has forced Providence Sacred Heart and Holy Family hospitals to start rescheduling some elective surgeries, according to a statement issued Wednesday.

“This action is directly related to conserving critical care beds and staff as we care for our highest numbers of patients with COVID-19 to date,” Providence officials said in the statement.

Starting Wednesday, Dec. 2, the hospitals will reschedule some elective surgeries and procedures. They will review each surgery and patient need on a case-by-case basis and work with patients to reschedule procedures, Providence said in a statement.

According to the Spokane Regional Health District, as of Wednesday 127 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Spokane County, 94 of which are county residents.

On Nov. 25, Sacred Heart Chief Operating Officer Susan Stacey said they were seeing their “highest volumes” of COVID-19 patients since the start of the pandemic. At the time, 90 patients were hospitalized at Sacred Heart and Holy Family. Stacey said their hospitals were not full but they were preparing for an increase in hospitalizations.

The Spokane Regional Health District applauded Providence's move in a press conference Tuesday morning, calling it a preemptive action. 

"I just want to make sure that people understand that if they do need care, please go to your healthcare facility, go to your healthcare provider,"  SRHD Interim Health Officer Dr. Frank Velazquez said. "This does not mean that services are not going to be provided."

They noted that while hospitals have seen rising patient numbers in general in recent months, which includes COVID patients, people being treated for coronavirus are different.

"These patients tend to be more resource-intensive for the hospitals because of the care that they require," Velazquez said.

As for Multicare Hospitals, Deaconess and Valley, a spokesperson said they are prepared for a surge in patients. 

"At MultiCare, we have had our contingency plans in place since the spring as we continue to provide care," said Spokesperson Kevin Maloney. "Most recently, we’ve pulled back on a few procedures to ensure that we have additional capacity. Surgeons have been asked to use their best clinical judgement to determine whether something can be delayed in the best interest of patient care. For patients that are impacted by these decisions, we are in regular communication."

Read Providence Health Care’s full statement below:

The well-being of our patients and caregivers is our top priority, especially during the current COVID-19 surge. Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Holy Family Hospital are taking steps to ensure we have capacity to care for our community. Effective today, we will reschedule some elective surgeries and procedures. We will review each surgery and patient need on a case-by-case basis and work with patients to reschedule their procedure. This action is directly related to conserving critical care beds and staff as we care for our highest numbers of patients with COVID-19 to date.

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