AdventHealth Central Florida Division to defer some non-time-sensitive elective surgeries as COVID surge continues

July 26, 2021 — AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division continues to see a significant and swift increase in COVID-19 cases in its hospitals throughout Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Volusia and Flagler counties. Additionally, the daily positivity rate at AdventHealth Centra Care remains at near all-time highs.

As of this morning, AdventHealth has 862 COVID-19 inpatients across the Central Florida Division. This is near the peak of about 900 the health system saw in January.

In response, AdventHealth will defer non-time-sensitive elective outpatient surgeries at hospitals throughout the Central Florida Division effective Tuesday, July 27. (An example of a non-time-sensitive elective outpatient surgery would be an elective knee surgery.)

Patients will be notified if their procedure will be rescheduled.

This elevated status also means:

• Preapproval from campus medical leadership is required for non-time-sensitive/urgent or non-emergent procedures
• Outpatient surgery sites can continue as scheduled
• Other procedure sites, such as cath and endoscopy, can continue as scheduled
• Pediatric surgeries can continue without limitation

AdventHealth Orlando Chief Medical Officer Dr. Victor Herrera will be available to discuss this latest development at 10 am today at Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings’ news conference.

AdventHealth is taking these measures, which mirror those made earlier in the pandemic, to safeguard our physicians and team members, and greater community.

Patient safety, safety of the entire health care team and the ability to care for our community remain the tenets of this and all decisions. We will continuously evaluate these limitations to ensure all are safeguarded.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is hospital capacity at risk?

A: While the rising number of hospitalized patients is evidence of the risk still posed by the virus in our community, it is not cause for alarm in terms of hospital capacity. Our hospitals are designed in such a way that spaces are flexible and expandable. AdventHealth has an extensive health care system in place in Central Florida so we can locate patients to the facility that best matches the level of care they need.

Q: Do you have enough supplies and ventilators?

A: We have sufficient supplies of ventilators, monitors and other specialized equipment in order to quickly convert spaces in the hospital to both standard and ICU level rooms, should they be needed.

Q: What percentage of COVID inpatients are vaccinated?

A: Some 94% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across AdventHealth’s nationwide system are unvaccinated.

Q: Is AdventHealth administering COVID vaccines?

A: AdventHealth continues to offer COVID vaccines for the public at six Centra Care locations . AdventHealth also is offering COVID vaccines to inpatients at its hospitals throughout the Central Florida Division.

The next AdventHealth Morning Briefing will be on Thursday, July 29 at 9 am on the Life at AdventHealth Facebook page , which will include an update on the latest COVID census. AdventHealth experts will take reporter’s questions via text or in the comments field on Facebook.