Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare on Sept. 13 is postponing nonurgent surgeries at 13 hospitals, but operations will continue as normal at the Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Murray, Utah, the Standard-Examiner reports.
The postponement is expected to last several weeks as the health system addresses a considerable volume of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients at its facilities, according to the report.
During a Sept. 10 news conference, Marc Harrison, MD, Intermountain's president and CEO, said 350 COVID-19 patients were taking up space at the system's hospitals — the highest seen at any one time.
"We are facing a dire situation," Dr. Harrison said. "We are reaching out for travel nurses and are hiring as fast as we can. It's still not enough. This pause in surgery is going to be a challenge for you, your families and friends. A lot of people are going to be unhappy, scared, and in some cases, very miserable."