By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
Anyone worried about how the COVID-19 outbreak is taxing Arizona’s health care system can easily see for themselves how much of the state’s hospital capacity is in use on a given day. But anyone who wants that information for individual hospitals and hospital systems is out of luck.
On Thursday, Gov. Doug Ducey warned that Arizona hospitals would likely have to tap into their surge capacity soon to accommodate the state’s spike in COVID-19 cases. For Banner Health, the state’s largest hospital system, and Dignity Health, that moment came less than 24 hours later.
Those two hospital systems confirmed on Friday that they’re activating their surge capacity plans, which for Banner includes diverting non-COVID adult patients to its Cardon Children’s Medical Center. Other hospital systems, such as Abrazo, Carondelet Health Network and HonorHealth, say they’re prepared for the possibility, but haven’t done the same yet.
As of Friday, 86% of Arizona’s in-patient hospital beds were in use, tied for the all-time high mark set two days earlier, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. And 88% of ICU beds throughout the state were also in use, another record for Arizona since the COVID-19 crisis erupted in March.
