PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emmanuel announced Tuesday that they will be postponing all non-urgent pediatric procedures as RSV cases in the area continue to increase.
Cindy Hill, Vice President, and Chief Nursing Officer of Randall’s says that the regional health care system entered crisis standards of care to “address the overwhelming demand for hospital services in response to the (RSV) surge.
“Making decisions about the allocation of critical care resources is heart-wrenching. For Legacy Health front-line health care workers, healing and caring is at the center of our mission to serve our patients and our communities. Health care teams show up every day to help heal people, and every single life is valued,” Hill said.
Crisis standards of care occurs when critical care resources are severely limited, the number of patients presenting for critical care exceeds capacity and there is no option to transfer to other critical care facilities, according to Oregon Health Authority.
“This has been an unprecedented respiratory viral season, both in the timing and the number of children affected. At Randall Children’s Hospital, we are implementing safe solutions to meet the community demand for pediatric beds, including pulling staff to work extra shifts. To create capacity, we’ve postponed some non-urgent pediatric procedures and will continue to use creative staffing options to ensure we can provide the best possible care through this crisis,” Hill said.
Hill also asked for the public’s help to preserve hospital capacity for those who need it most by:
- Avoiding contact with those who are sick
- Washing hands frequently
- Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces
- Staying up to date on all routine vaccinations, including flu shots and COVID-19 boosters
- Limiting infants’ exposure to frequent visitors and crowds, especially if they are at risk for severe illness and/or younger than 12 weeks of age