Community COVID surge straining Mount Nittany Medical Center resources

On Thursday evening, December 2, Mount Nittany Medical Center took the extraordinary step of diverting ambulances away from its emergency room. This follows a sustained surge of COVID transmission in the community which is leading to systemic problems for the region’s health systems. The diversion was lifted on Friday morning, but hospital officials say you can expect to see extraordinary measures continue to take place while community transmission remains high. 

 

All elective surgeries at Mount Nittany Medical Center requiring at least one overnight inpatient stay may be postponed through next week; Community members seeking emergency care at the medical center can expect to see significantly longer wait times in the emergency department; Visitation remains restricted.

 

Many of the region’s health systems are reporting high patient volumes and are making similar operational changes as the pressure of the sustained COVID surge continues. 

 

“The entire region is feeling the impact of the surging COVID-19 transmission which is leading to more inpatient hospitalizations exacerbated by the inability to discharge patients to long-term care facilities due to their own capacity constraints,” said Upendra Thaker, MD, chief medical officer, Mount Nittany Medical Center. “As long as the high level of community transmission continues, we will have to take steps to address the issues that arise from the high volume of patients who are also requiring a high level of care. It’s not often hospitals have to take extreme measures like diverting ambulances, but this strain is a direct result of what’s happening in the community and the region. We will have to make operational adjustments to support continuity of care to the best of our ability.” 

 

In the first two days of December, Centre County had 177 confirmed positive COVID cases.  This two-day total is more than the number of confirmed positive cases for all of June and July combined.  The sustained, elevated level of community transmission is directly impacting the number of hospitalizations, which are predominantly among unvaccinated individuals.

 

“Things are as challenging as they have ever been during the past 21 months of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Thaker. “Caring for COVID patients is like operating a hospital within a hospital.  It takes extraordinary resources to operate at this capacity.” 

 

As of today, the hospital is caring for 58 COVID positive inpatients. These patients range in age from 21 to 95.  Since mid-September, the hospital has had an average of 34 COVID patients each day.  This is the longest sustained period of a high COVID census at any time in the 21-month pandemic.

 

“We understand that community members are frustrated with surgeries being postponed, having significantly longer waits for emergency services, and not being able to visit loved ones, said Dr. Tiffany Cabibbo, executive vice president, patient care services and chief nursing officer, Mount Nittany Health. “We wish this were not the case.“

 

Cabibbo says that clinical staff have continued to work tirelessly to care for others.

 

“We are so grateful to and proud of our clinical staff who have worked under extraordinary circumstances for the past 21 months. Please know they are doing everything they can to continue to care for patients,” said Cabibbo. 

 

On behalf of the physicians, nurses and healthcare workers on the front lines, who have been fighting the pandemic for nearly two years, we urge community members to do everything they can to prevent and stop the spread of COVID-19, especially through the holiday season. While we know it’s important to spend time with loved ones, please:

 

Please visit our website to register for a Pfizer BioNTech vaccine or booster dose. Importantly, if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or believe you have been exposed to someone who is COVID positive, then please isolate yourself from others and seek testing. Visit our patient information page to learn more.