SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) -- Two major hospital systems in South Jersey say patient capacity is still at manageable levels, despite the spike in COVID-19 cases. Virtua Health System and Jefferson Health System have different ways of doing things, but they have same goal.
Virtua has basically set up two hospitals within each hospital it runs, one for COVID-19 patients and one for non-COVID-19 patients. Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Reg Blaber says they have surge plans in place and are constantly re-evaluating the situation.
Right now, the number of COVID-19 patients being treated is below April’s peak. Having five hospitals allows Virtua to shift resources where they are needed.
Jefferson Health New Jersey CEO Brian Sweeney says being nimble is one of the keys for them, and they are able to shift staff and patients to other locations when needed.
"We also have a really robust telehealth program that has evolved pretty dramatically over the past seven or eight months, so we’re in a position now to safely keep patients at home unless they really need to be admitted," Sweeney said.
Sweeney and Blaber both stress how important and safe it is for people to still show up for routine check-ups, such as mammograms and colonoscopies. And they said it’s also important for people to do what they can to slow the spread and protect their own families to keep hospital beds available.