Bergen Area Hospitals Lack Beds For Coronavirus Surge: Report

HACKENSACK – With the number of new coronavirus cases increasing nationwide and in our area, the Bergen County area is projected to run out of beds for patients in some hospitals if the number of infected people rises by even a few hundred.

The warning about the potential for overwhelmed hospitals comes from an analysis by Harvard Global Health Institute and ProPublica.

The report underscores the seriousness of the need to "flatten the curve" through social distancing, which health officials hope will slow the spread of the disease and keep hospital caseloads manageable. But even in what experts consider a moderate rate of infection, ProPublica said, Bergen-area hospitals would fall short of the demand for beds.

Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered schools and non-essential businesses closed in an attempt to stunt the increase in cases, and he's also banned gatherings of 50 people ore more. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Already, New Jersey has recorded 427 confirmed cases and three deaths. The vast majority are in Bergen County (114).

Bergen County has at least four hospitals that have treated coronavirus patients: Hackensack University Medical Center, Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, Holy Name in Teaneck and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Murphy said he's also put in a request with the Trump administration to help erect more emergency beds and even hospitals.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said she's concerned about the health care system, saying the state is looking to ensure that hospitals have the manpower, the supplies and the space that's needed for the duration of the outbreak.

"There are predictions that many parts of the United States will have far too few hospital beds if the new coronavirus continues to spread," she said. "That's why we're working with hospitals to develop surge and capacity planning."

She said 260 additional beds should be brought online by Wednesday. Of those, 199 will be in North Jersey, 11 will be in Central Jersey and 50 will be in South Jersey.

Persichilli expects 227 additional beds to become available within next three to four weeks

The report divides in Bergen County into two regions: Hackensack and Ridgewood.

Here's what ProPublica reported about the Hackensack area:

As of 2018, the Hackensack area had 3,820 total hospital beds, of which about 72 percent were occupied, potentially leaving only 1,060 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 180 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

The Hackensack area has a population of about 1.3 million residents; 15 percent are over the age of 65. The experience in other countries has shown that elderly patients have significantly higher hospitalization and fatality rates from the coronavirus.

In the moderate scenario, in which 40 percent of the adult population contracts the disease over 12 months, Hackensack would be among the regions that would need to expand capacity.

It is estimated that about 8 percent of the adult population would require hospital care. In a moderate scenario where 40 percent of the population is infected over a 12-month period, hospitals in Hackensack would receive an estimated 87,300 coronavirus patients. The influx of patients would require 2,910 beds over 12 months, which is 2.8 times times the number of available beds in that time period. The Harvard researchers' scenarios assume that each coronavirus patient will require 12 days of hospital care on average, based on data from China.

In the Hackensack area, intensive care units would be especially overwhelmed and require additional capacity. Without coronavirus patients, there are only 98 available beds on average in intensive care units, which is 6.4 times times less than what is needed to care for all severe cases.

Hackensack Meridian, which operates Hackensack University Medical Center, offered this response:

The health and safety of our patients, families and team members remains Hackensack Meridian Health’s top priority. We have been developing coronavirus preparedness plans across our network for weeks and are executing on that plan to help create capacity and continue delivering high-quality care in anticipation of a surge in COVID-19 cases.

We have also created the Hackensack Meridian Health command center to centralize communications across our 17 hospitals, ensuring we can effectively communicate to all of our team members and physicians in a timely and efficient manner about the latest developments regarding testing, best practices and guidelines. In addition, we are working with a variety of vendors to ensure we maintain a steady flow of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep our team members and patients safe.

Hackensack Meridian Health has implemented the following measures to help with capacity and keep patients, families and team members safe during this time:

• In compliance with the U.S. Surgeon General and the American College of Surgeons, as of March 17, Hackensack Meridian Health has postponed non-urgent and non-emergency hospital/campus-based surgeries and procedures for two weeks. This temporary measure will allow our hospitals to enact preparedness plans and create additional capacity.
• As of March 13, Hackensack Meridian Health restricted visitation across all our hospitals, as well as nursing and rehabilitation facilities, out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our patients and families.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80 percent of cases are mild and do not require treatment in a hospital. That is why we are utilizing telemedicine via our ConvenientCare Now app, so patients can seek care from the comfort of their own home while reducing the risk of further exposure.
  • Along with the CDC, we recommend patients at risk for COVID-19 who are either not showing symptoms or have mild symptoms be evaluated virtually before visiting urgent care, a doctor’s office or Emergency Department.
  • We encourage patients to go to an Emergency Department ONLY when symptoms have progressed to shortness of breath or respiratory distress, or if patients over 60 with underlying health conditions are experiencing a fever and/or shortness of breath.

• Hospitals and health systems across the nation are struggling with adequate testing capacity. Our network’s new test is processing an average 50 tests a day. This new internal capacity has helped us more quickly test highest priority patients under investigation. In addition, we have expanded our external lab capacity by partnering with additional companies.

Adam Jarrett, chief medical officer of Holy Name Medical Center, offered this comment:

As we continue to see a surge in cases, Holy Name is now enacting contingency plans to accommodate this rapidly growing influx of patients.”

As of 2018, the Ridgewood had 810 total hospital beds, of which about 66 percent were occupied, potentially leaving only 280 beds open for additional patients. The bed count includes 83 beds in intensive care units, according to data from the American Hospital Association and the American Hospital Directory. Intensive care units are best equipped to handle the most acute coronavirus cases.

The Ridgewood area has a population of about 478,000 residents; 14 percent are over the age of 65. The experience in other countries has shown that elderly patients have significantly higher hospitalization and fatality rates from the coronavirus.

In the moderate scenario, in which 40 percent of the adult population contracts the disease over 12 months, Ridgewood would be among the regions that would need to expand capacity.

It is estimated that about 8 percent of the adult population would require hospital care. In a moderate scenario where 40 percent of the population is infected over a 12-month period, hospitals in the Ridgewood area would receive an estimated 28,200 coronavirus patients. The influx of patients would require 940 beds over 12 months, which is 3.4 times the available beds in that time period. The Harvard researchers' scenarios assume that each coronavirus patient will require 12 days of hospital care on average, based on data from China.

In the Ridgewood area, intensive care units would be especially overwhelmed and require additional capacity. Without coronavirus patients, there are only 35 available beds on average in intensive care units, which is 5.8 times less than what is needed to care for all severe cases.

ProPublica, a Patch Partner, is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power and other public concerns. Click here to see ProPublica’s full story and specifics about hospitals in your area