(INDIANAPOLIS) – IU Health is putting all non-emergency hospitalizations on hold.
IU announced last week it was canceling half of non-urgent procedures at its 16 hospitals because of the growing number of COVID-19 patients. Now it’s suspending the other half for at least two weeks, starting Monday.
The announcement comes a day after Governor Holcomb ordered hospitals to set benchmarks for when that step would be necessary.
Nearly 2,400 Hoosiers are hospitalized with COVID-19, a quarter of them in intensive care. Both figures are the highest since January, and have doubled in less than four weeks.
The Indiana Hospital Association warned last month that canceling procedures carries risks, saying it’s risky to put off procedures like heart or cancer surgery, even though they’re technically elective. A statement from the association says the virus is “a massive storm cloud” sweeping across Indiana, and says the best way to relieve the pressure on hospitals is to get vaccinated.
