'Ongoing Influx' At North Shore Hospitals Expected Through Month

EVANSTON, IL — NorthShore University HealthSystem officials have suspended non-emergency surgeries and halted routine visits at the system's hospitals as health care workers prepare for an anticipated continuation of last month's rise in the number of patients needing treatment for COVID-19.

Highland Park Hospital President Gabrielle Cummings said the number of cases at Evanston, Skokie, Glenbrook and Highland Park hospitals have "spiked" from 46 patients at the start of December to more than 138 as of Monday.

"The overwhelming majority of these patients are unvaccinated," Cummings said.

In response, Cummings said NorthShore had dedicated teams at Glenbrook Hospital to exclusively care for COVID-19 patients in order to address growing patient demand quickly and efficiently.

The Evanston-based hospital conglomerate has implemented the same policy in past surges. Since it was reintroduced Jan. 1, Glenbrook has had an average of 125 inpatients being treated for acute COVID-19, according to a NorthShore spokesperson.

"To ensure we have capacity for those with acute clinical needs, we have temporarily suspended all non-emergent elective procedures from Jan. 3 to Jan. 14," Cummings said Monday.

"Based on industry models, we are projecting an ongoing influx of patients through the end of the month and will remain agile and steadfast in our response," she said, "as well as in our efforts to advocate that all are vaccinated, boosted and follow recommended guidelines for social distancing and masking."

NorthShore staff are also "stewarding" COVID-19 tests to make sure that symptomatic patients or those who have had an exposure have quick access to testing, the hospital president said, speaking at a news conference with Gov. J.B. Pritzker and leaders at other hospital groups.

Cummings said the hospital group has implemented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that accelerate the quarantine timelines for some staff to return to work.

NorthShore also implemented new visitor restrictions, starting Dec. 27.

"No routine visitors will be allowed in hospital or other settings until further notice," it said.

Exceptions may be made to the new policy in case of extenuating circumstances following consultations with the patient's doctors and nurses, according to the health system's website.

Hospital officials asked that patients have a single visitor identified to communicate with the clinical team during hospitalizations. Designated caregivers and clergy are not included in visitor count, but must show proof of full vaccination and adhere to safety requirements including double-masking and eye protection. Law enforcement seeking entry to the hospital for a legal issue with a patient must also have a negative screen result, according to the policy.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there were 22 available staffed beds out of the 164 in its Region 9, which includes Lake and McHenry counties. In Region 10, made up of suburban Cook County, there were 67 of the 665 total ICU beds available.

As of midnight Tuesday, one in four hospital beds in use was occupied by a patient with COVID-19 or under investigation for a possible case, according to IDPH. Of all ICU beds in the state's hospitals, 36 percent were occupied by COVID-19 patients or patients under investigation.

There were 1,086 COVID-19 patients in the state's ICUs as of Monday. Illinois hospitals have had more than 1,200 patients in their ICUs twice during previous coronavirus waves — once in the first wave of the novel virus during the spring of 2020 and again during the final week of November 2020.

Related:

• Glenbrook Hospital Beds Filling Up With COVID-19 Patients
• ICU Beds In Illinois 'Frighteningly Limited,' Gov. Pritzker Says
• Unvaccinated NorthShore Staff Drop Appeal Of Order Allowing Their Firing