PHOENIX — Banner Health says they are expecting to reach 125% care capacity in the coming weeks as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
During a virtual update Tuesday morning, Banner Health says there will be about 1,000 health care workers coming from out of state to help with the winter coronavirus and care surge. Nine hundred more are still needed. Additionally, Banner says they are prepared and able to move staffing resources around and provide additional training in order to meet needs.
Watch the full update in the player below:
Winter often sees higher numbers of people in hospitals due to a variety of factors, but there are additional concerns with rising COVID-19 cases and staff getting sick as well.
Across Banner Health System (multiple states) ICUs are at 64% capacity - so they have ICU space, per Dr. Bessel. @abc15
— Mike Pelton (@MikePeltonABC15) November 24, 2020
Banner says when 125% capacity is reached according to models, the healthcare system will be stressed but several plans are in place to meet demand. Care changes and triaging is not expected to be a concern, according to current forecasting.
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Officials are urging community members to continue to take precautions and act in a safe manner to help prevent further spread of the virus.
When vaccines are ready to be administered, Banner says they expect to have three locations ready for the first round of recipients. Banner is working with the state and specific counties, but those locations have not been set in stone.