Texas Health Resources to postpone non-essential procedures as COVID cases rise
Texas Health Resources will postpone elective and non-essential procedures starting Thursday due to rising coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations.
The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 “has caused a severe stress” on emergency department bed and inpatient capacity, a hospital spokesperson said in an email Tuesday.
The hold will stay in effect until further notice. Patients contact their doctors with any questions about upcoming procedures.
Tarrant County reported 1,947 new cases Tuesday. Patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 account for 24.7% of hospital beds available in the North Central Texas Trauma Region.
Texas Health Resources’ announcement joins a handful of other systems with hospitals in North Texas that have scaled back certain procedures. A spokesperson with Methodist health system said some of their hospitals have temporarily paused surgeries that require patients to recover in a hospital bed.
John Peter Smith Health Network announced Dec. 21 it would halt non-life-threatening surgeries for the first time since mid-May.
“JPS is reviewing the situation daily, and will contact patients to reschedule appointments,” Diana Brodeur, JPS spokesperson, wrote in an email.
A spokesperson with Cook Children’s Health Care System said the agency has no plans to postpone procedures.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 10:42 AM.
