Update on Hospital and Emergency Department Capacity, COVID-19 and Chemotherapy Drug Supply at Seattle Children’s
September 6, 2023
Emergency Department and hospital volumes
- Patient volumes in the Emergency Department (ED) are typical for summer; we continue to experience surges and high patient acuity in the ED.
- Hospital census was higher this summer than in typical summers pre-pandemic. Significant planning is occurring to prepare for the fall/winter surge.
COVID-19
We are beginning to see increased SARS-CoV2 activity as our testing positivity is increasing; we expect rates to further rise with the start of school.
Chemotherapy drug supply
- The national shortage of chemotherapy drugs continues.
- We continue to monitor our supply closely and work with our distributors to ensure we have adequate quantities including methotrexate.
- We are coordinating our efforts regionally and nationally to look for long term solutions to ongoing medication shortages that impact patient care.