Those with less serious conditions should avoid the emergency departments and seek care from their primary care provider or an urgent care center. Our focus will be on care for the sickest patients who truly require inpatient hospital treatment. It’s important to note that patients with serious illness and injury should continue to access needed care at TidalHealth. This is the first time in the history of TidalHealth that we have implemented these plans. These protocols have been prepared and approved in advance so that we can quickly implement them in times of crisis. The health system will reevaluate weekly the crisis standards of care operating status, and will move back to a traditional operating mode as soon as it is safe to do so.Ĭrisis standards of care protocols are put into place when there is a need to extend the availability of key resources, while also minimizing the impact of shortages on clinical care. TidalHealth is not offering COVID-19 testing at either of its hospitals, and remindsĮveryone to please continue to wear your mask, keep your distance, and wash and sanitize your hands. If you need a COVID-19 vaccination or booster shot, or are looking for a testing location, please visit these websites in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware: People with less severe illnesses or injuries should see their provider or visit one of the many immediate or urgent care facilities on Delmarva. TidalHealth continues to ask the public to only use the emergency departments at both hospitals for life-threatening issues. Additionally, wait times may be increased for services, in particular in emergency departments. In crisis status, TidalHealth will keep in place its no visitation policy at both hospitals and will also continue to relocate, as necessary, members of its team to different areas and units of patient care where they are most needed and can best benefit patients and staffing requirements. Emergency and urgent surgeries are not affected at this time. Prior to implementing this change, TidalHealth had already taken steps to reduce admissions by postponing non-urgent surgeries requiring an overnight hospital stay and continues to evaluate all non-urgent surgeries. Getting vaccinated and receiving your booster can reduce the severity of illness and will help take the pressure off our extremely busy facilities.”Ĭurrently, TidalHealth has exceeded the peak number of admissions witnessed in previous surges. However, we desperately need the help of our communities. “We continue to strategize best ways to reduce hospitalizations and overcrowding with our team and with other healthcare providers in our region. “We remain fully committed to providing the best and safest possible care, but it is becoming extremely challenging with the anticipated holiday surge in cases now occurring,” said Steve Leonard, PhD, MBA, FACHE, and TidalHealth CEO. This decision comes after careful discussion and consideration, and is a move from optimal care for each person to optimized care for many. This change in status follows emergency healthcare declarations recently by the Governors of Maryland and Delaware. Although very rarely used, they are guided by best practices, the values of the organization and ethical principles. Since December 1, TidalHealth has collectively experienced over a 300% increase in admissions for COVID-19 and record-setting numbers of emergency department visits for COVID-19 related symptoms.Ĭrisis standards of care are only used in time of emergency, when the demand for healthcare exceeds a hospital’s ability to provide it through normal means. The situation has been and continues to be serious not only within TidalHealth but at hospitals across the nation. The health system is experiencing occupancy levels never seen before coupled with tremendous lengths of stay, making managing the volumes of patients very challenging. This is the first time in the 125-year history of TidalHealth that its hospitals have been operating under crisis standards of care. TidalHealth becomes the 13th hospital in Maryland to implement crisis standards for care. A similar change in status was announced at TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Delaware on January 10. As a result of significant increases in both emergency department volumes, COVID-19 related admissions, and the ongoing national staffing shortage, TidalHealth has chosen to implement and follow CDC recommendations for crisis standards at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury, Maryland.
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