DOH watches capacity as hospitalizations rise

The Washington State Department of Health said Wednesday it is watching hospital capacity across the state and addressing the need to stretch health care resources.

Hospital capacity is stressed across the state, DOH stated in a press release. The department, with health care partners, has been monitoring a surge in hospitalizations, though the release did not link the surge directly to COVID-19.

DOH said it has adopted and plans to use a framework developed by the National Academy of Medicine that “stresses the importance of an ethically grounded system to guide decision-making in a crisis standards of care situation.” The goal is to prevent ever having to utilize crisis standards of care anywhere in Washington, DOH stated.

The department said it is “working with state, federal and private partners to mitigate Washington’s health care surge by accessing additional volunteer and contracted resources, coordinating information sharing, and supporting efforts to shift patients to health care facilities that can best support their care.”

DOH encouraged residents to get vaccinated and wear masks.