More Than Half Of Silver Cross ICU Beds Filled By COVID Patients

NEW LENOX, IL — Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox reported Tuesday that 44 percent of the total beds at the hospital were occupied by COVID-19 patients as the recent surge in cases continues to rise.

According to the hospital's daily dashboard, posted on its website, there were 137 patients with confirmed COVID-19-related illness in the hospital's care as of Tuesday; two more patients were listed as awaiting COVID-19 test results.

The hospital has 316 total beds: 223 for medical/surgical; 30 for obstetrics (birthing); 30 for intensive care; 25 for rehabilitation; and eight for pediatrics, according to information on the hospital's website.

Of the 30 intensive care unit beds, 18 were occupied by COVID-19 patients, and 11 of those patients were on ventilators, hospital officials said. Hospital officials would not say exactly how many ICU beds were currently available, but did say that "our ICU is nearly at capacity."

The hospital was briefly put on "bypass" status Monday night, meaning the administration advised emergency medical services that the hospital was full. Silver Cross was no longer on bypass status as of Tuesday morning, hospital officials said.

Silver Cross on Thursday instituted a "no-visitor" policy. Visitors are not allowed in the inpatient nursing units, intensive care unit or the emergency department; however, special exemptions to the policy can be made for procedural care patients, the labor/delivery and neonatal units, and for those receiving outpatient services.

"So that we can continue to safely care for all patients who come to our hospital, we've activated our hospital surge plan during this period of local and national crisis," Director of Marketing and Communications Debra Robbins told Patch Thursday. "For Silver Cross, this includes mobilizing our staff to areas where they're most needed, including our Emergency Department; [and] restricting elective surgeries for two weeks beginning Monday, Jan. 3, so that we can conserve beds for our growing number of inpatients."

Silver Cross is not alone in seeing a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. As of Monday, bed availability was in the single digits in three Illinois regions, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said during a press conference. In Region 7, which encompasses Will and Kankakee counties, just six ICU beds were available as of Monday, meaning ICUs there are at nearly 96 percent capacity.

Statewide, 316 of the 2,977 ICU beds were available on Monday. A total of 1,086, or more than a third of those in the ICU, are COVID-19 patients, according to state health data.

More than 650 of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are on ventilators, state health officials reported.

"We continue to encourage everyone who’s eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and to get the booster shot when appropriate, as that adds extra protection against the virus," Silver Cross Hospital officials said. "With more individuals vaccinated, that will help relieve the added stress on hospitals and healthcare providers.

"We also encourage community members who think they may have COVID-19 and are experiencing only minor symptoms to call their provider first and avoid coming to the Emergency Department. The pandemic has led to longer wait times in hospital emergency departments everywhere — including Silver Cross — as patients are triaged and treated based on the severity of their condition."

Related:

• 'Frighteningly Limited' ICU Beds In IL As COVID Surges: Pritzker
• 'No-Visitor' Policy In Effect At Silver Cross In New Lenox
• Lincoln-Way D210 Schools Start Year With Remote Learning
• COVID-19 Tests In Short Supply: How To Find One In Illinois