SALT LAKE CITY — Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital announced Thursday it will delay all non-emergency in-patient and outpatient surgeries and procedures through Nov. 28 due to the influx of COVID-19 patients, trauma-related injuries, and those suffering respiratory illnesses.
“Our patient volumes now exceed typical winter surge levels, which is unprecedented. Our typical in-patient volume this time of year is about 180 patients. In peak respiratory season, we average 230 patients. Yesterday, we cared for 249 hospitalized patients,” said Dustin Lipson, administrator of Primary Children’s Hospital.
This decision was made to maintain the safety and well being of patients and caregivers, and to ensure the Hospital has adequate staffing and resources.
“We are contacting patient families to reschedule non-urgent surgeries and procedures,” added Lipson. “To be clear, patients who urgently need surgeries and procedures will receive them. We are deploying caregivers in surgical and procedural areas to care for patients in other areas of the hospital.”
To help reduce the influx of patients, the Hospital is urging the community to mask up in public, practice social distancing, maintain good hand hygiene, and get vaccinated for the flu and COVID-19.
