Arizona hospitals at 83% capacity, elective surgery may stop

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona hospitals that are expected to be able to treat new cases of coronavirus without going into crisis mode were above 80% capacity, a milestone that should trigger an automatic stop to elective surgeries at affected hospitals as the state becomes a hotspot.

The report showing statewide bed capacity of 83%, released Wednesday by the Department of Health Services, comes as the state deals with a surge in virus cases and hospitalizations that experts say is likely tied to Gov. Doug Ducey's ending of statewide closure orders in mid-May.

Ducey has been criticized for not adding requirements that could prevent a surge, and some say the time to put those measures in place has come.

“If we don’t do some things right now we’re going to end up either at a stay-at-home order or over-capacity or both,” former state health director Will Humble said. “But the things that we can do now, they’re going to take time to work.”

They include better infection control in nursing homes, masks in public and allowing cities to crack down on bar districts where social distancing has been ignored, Humble said. Ducey did none of those things when he lifted his orders last month.

Halting elective surgeries would greatly affect patients, since surgical procedures affect their quality of life in measurable ways and are needed. And it would be a major financial blow for hospitals who get a major portion of their revenue from procedures. Many hospitals instituted furloughs, pay cuts or other savings measures during the first ban on elective surgeries.

Health Services Department Director Dr. Cara Christ said her agency is looking at the bed use data supplied by hospitals and trying to determine if elective surgeries should stop. She declined to name the...