Just 7% of the state s hospital beds were available as of Friday morning. A refrigerated truck is being used as a makeshift morgue at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix because of an accelerated pace of COVID-19 deaths.
Hospitals in Arizona face serious staffing shortages, and health officials and major medical groups are calling on Gov. Doug Ducey to take more aggressive action.
The current surge of COVID-19 is the greatest strain on Arizona hospitals statewide in recent history, said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.
Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer for Banner Health, said, Nearly half of the patients currently being cared for in our hospitals are there because of a disease that did not even exist last year.
and last updated 2020-12-18 21:20:08-05
PHOENIX â In a press conference Friday, Banner Health officials are reporting morgue capacity has been exceeded at some hospitals due to recent COVID-19 deaths and 55% of ICU beds in their facilities are occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Banner Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel said 49% of all patients are being treated for COVID-19. These deaths have caused us to exceed our morgue capacity at some of our hospitals, Bessel said.
Bessel added that Banner Health is using refrigerated trucks to expand morgue capacity at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix.
#NEW Banner Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel noting COVID-19 deaths on the rise.
Arizona COVID-19 updates: Makeshift morgue set up at Banner hospital in central Phoenix Arizona Republic
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