1 In 5 Bucks Co. Hospital Beds Occupied By COVID Patients

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — More than one out of every five hospital beds in Bucks County is occupied by a patient being treated for the coronavirus, according to the latest data.

Those numbers are highest at St. Mary Medical Center in Lower Bucks, where the latest federal data shows capacity at 100 percent and 40 percent of all beds filled with COVID-19 patients.

The federal government released new, hospital-level data on Monday. NPR, using analysis from the University of Minnesota's COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project, built a tool that shows hospital-by-hospital information.

You can access the NPR tool here

At Bucks County hospitals, an average of 22 percent of all patients beds are currently being occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to the data.

While there is no clear threshold, NPR cites hospital experts saying that anything above 10 percent is concerning and anything above 20 percent represents "extreme stress" for a hospital.

Tuesday, St. Mary officials said the report captured "a snapshot in time and can change from hour to hour based on discharges and new patients coming in through the emergency department." As of Tuesday, the hospital had 113 COVID-19 patients, officials said. That's one fewer than the 114 in the most recent federal data.

"We continually monitor capacity to ensure the highest-quality care for patients and continue to follow our normal process for diverting patients as needed due to volume and staffing," officials told Patch. "Even with vaccines on the horizon, we strongly urge everyone in our community to mask up, wear masks properly (covering nose and mouth), physically distance, wash hands, and avoid crowds and close conversations."

In neighboring counties, Philadelphia hospitals were at 26 percent, Montgomery was at 31 percent, Delaware at 24 percent and Lehigh at 15 percent.

Bucks County's overall percentage includes bed numbers from Rothman Orthopaedic Institute in Bensalem, a specialty hospital with no data on COVID patients, and would be higher if those beds weren't included.

As coronavirus cases have spiked in recent weeks, Pennsylvania health officials have urged residents to stay home, wear masks and observe social distancing in order to curb the spread of the virus and keep patients out of rapidly filling hospitals.

RELATED: ICU Bed Availability In Eastern PA: See Your County's Data

On Friday, the number of available ICU beds in Philadelphia was down to 10 percent, according to state data, while Bucks sat at 18.2 percent, with 14 beds available

"If you do not have to go out to the grocery store or the pharmacy, please stay home," Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. "By staying home, within your household, you can help us avoid that scenario where we could potentially run out of beds."

Here's a look at the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients in Bucks County Hospitals, according to the NPR analysis, as well as the overall percentage their beds currently occupied:

• Doylestown Hospital (Doylestown) 16% COVID, 79% overall
• Grand View Health (Sellersville) 27% COVID, 89% overall
• Lower Bucks Hospital (Bristol) 10% COVID, 36% overall
• Rothman Orthopedic (Bensalem) No data, 48%
• St. Luke's Hospital Upper Bucks (Quakertown) 19% COVID, 84% overall
• St. Mary Medical Center (Langhorne) 40% COVID, 100% overall

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