A third hospital in Alaska has instituted crisis protocols on how to treat patients and which patients to treat due to overcrowding of facilities caused by the surge in coronavirus cases, the Associated Press reports.
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital implemented the protocol Friday as capacity at the hospital’s ICUs and other inpatient facilities hit critical levels. Not only are beds filling up–one in 85 Alaskans was diagnosed with COVID between September 22nd and 29th–but hospital staff are stretched to their limits, jeopardizing the level of care needed.
Two other Alaska hospitals, in Anchorage and Bethel, have already implemented crisis protocols because they’re full and there are few options to transfer patients to. The protocol provides staff with guidance to identify which patients are priority when there is a need to ration limited resources.