Cook Children's Halts Elective Surgeries Due To Staff, Bed Shortages During COVID-19 Surge

CBS Dallas/Fort Worth

September 17, 2021

Cook Children’s Medical Center announced Thursday evening, Sept. 16, it is rescheduling all elective surgeries that require inpatient admission to Oct. 11 or later.

This is due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, the hospital said.

“We’re taking this extraordinary step to utilize Cook Children’s perioperative RNs in other areas of the hospital, including ICUs,” the hospital said in a news release. “Pediatric beds in our community are scarce and Cook Children’s is no exception. For the past month, we have evaluated elective surgeries on a case-by-case basis and rescheduled as needed. As more and more inpatient beds are needed with no end in sight, the situation is dire, and this strategy will no longer suffice. There are only so many beds available and we must provide room for critically ill children who must be hospitalized.”

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