"As healthcare leaders across Boone County we have monitored the ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in our community and across the state of Missouri since the beginning of this pandemic. In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, our local hospitals are reaching capacity. As a result, based on the continued increase of COVID-19 admissions, each facility will begin the implementation of their individual surge plans.
As of Nov. 9, 142 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized in Boone County. Forty-nine of those patients are currently in the ICU and 21 are on ventilators. This significant increase in COVID-19 in-patients, in addition to all other non-COVID services our hospitals provide, is putting a strain on healthcare resources and staffing in Boone County.
Each healthcare system has had to divert patients, defer referrals from other hospitals or issue bed holding status in response to this increased capacity. Our staff continues to be stretched thin as they respond and provide care for both patients with and without COVID.
Each hospital system has prepared for months to address the anticipated needs of this growing pandemic and has surge plans in place to successfully manage its own capacity to continue treating both patients with COVID and those without. These emergency response plans may include changing staffing procedures, pausing some elective surgeries, changing visitor policies and other efforts to ensure the highest levels of care for all who need it. We have also seen hospital systems across the state having to implement similar emergency procedures, thus increasing the impact on hospitals that are receiving additional patients.
In order to more accurately represent this status of our local hospitals, the Boone County Information Hub hosted on the como.gov/coronavirus website will be updated beginning Nov. 10. These metrics will replace the shortage chart previously detailed on the Information Hub. Hospital status will now reflect three levels within the following metrics:
- Green Status
- Operating within licensed bed capacity.
- Accepting patient transfers from referring hospitals within standard care operating procedure.
- Yellow Status
- Operating within standard capacity and meeting any of the following criteria:
- Delaying non-emergency patient transfers from referring hospitals due to capacity for greater than two days, or
- Delaying non-emergency patient transfers from referring hospitals due to staffing for greater than two consecutive days, or
- Delaying non-urgent procedures and operations to provide additional inpatient capacity.
- Operating within standard capacity and meeting any of the following criteria:
- Red Status
- Expansion of care for patients above and beyond standard capacity, diversion or delays from own ED due to staffing or capacity at any time for more than two consecutive days.
The updated Hospital Status metrics will be visible on the Information Hub on the Nov. 10 update around 4 p.m. These metrics will be updated Monday through Friday.
It is more imperative than ever for everyone in Missouri, in both urban and rural areas, to follow COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Stay 6 feet apart from those you don’t live with. Wear a mask. Wash and sanitize your hands. Frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Doing all of these things as much as possible is the best defense against this virus. These measures protect the health of our community at large, but they also help ease the burden on our hospital resources.
We must all do our part to reverse current trends and slow the spread of COVID-19 to ensure the safety of our communities and support of our healthcare systems."