AdventHealth changes to red status, citing downward trend in COVID-19 admissions

Effective Wednesday, AdventHealth Central Florida will roll back some of the measures created by the hospital’s shift to black status about four weeks ago.

The shift down to red status, which a news release attributed to a slowdown in COVID-19 hospital admissions, resumes more surgeries.

When under black status, all hospital-based outpatient procedures were deferred to reduce demand on hospital resources. But on Aug. 23, the hospital system resumed some outpatient procedures.

“We are thankful that we continue to see a downward trend of COVID patients in our hospitals and that will allow us to provide care to those who have had to delay certain procedures,” said Dr. Neil Finkler, chief clinical officer of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, in the news release Tuesday. “Our teams are still working very hard and we’re not out the woods, but we want to do everything we can to improve the quality-of-life for those who have been patiently waiting.”

On Thursday, when Finkler suggested hospital admissions may have peaked for this wave, the hospital system had about 1,380 patients hospitalized. AdventHealth did not provide updated numbers in this news release.

When AdventHealth moved to black status on July 29, it reported about 1,000 COVID-19 patients across its hospitals, a record at the time. The hospital system had 862 COVID-19 patients the last time it changed to red status, in late July 2021.

This move down to red still includes the following limitations: new surgical procedures are reduced; only outpatient procedures with a same-day discharge are allowed; non-time-sensitive elective surgeries are deferred; non-time-sensitive or non-emergent procedures require the campus chief medical officer’s approval.

Pediatric surgeries and outpatient surgery sites continue as normal.

AdventHealth said it has sufficient supplies of ventilators, monitors and oxygen.

As has been the case for months, less than 10% of its COVID-19 patients are vaccinated.

ccatherman@orlandosentinel.com