AdventHealth Central Florida will move to ‘black’ status and will defer non-emergency surgeries

July 29, 2021 — COVID-19 cases at hospitals in AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division continue to increase at a rapid pace.

As of this morning, AdventHealth has about 1,000 COVID-19 inpatients across the Central Florida Division which includes Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Volusia and Flagler counties. This surpasses the peak of about 900 the health system saw in January.

In response, AdventHealth Central Florida will move to ‘black’ status and will defer non-emergency surgeries at hospitals throughout the division. Patients will be notified if their procedure will be canceled.

“Cases continue to rise sharply with no sign that the surge is beginning to decelerate,” said Dr. Neil Finkler, chief clinical officer of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “This important step will help us create more resources for our clinical teams, and ensure that we can continue to care for our community.”

The elevation to black status also means:

• All hospital-based outpatient procedures will be deferred
• Outpatient surgery sites will only conduct time sensitive and urgent procedures
• Time sensitive pediatric procedures can be conducted with approval of the chief medical officer

AdventHealth Central Florida Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Neil Finkler and Linnette Johnson, a chief nursing officer with AdventHealth Central Florida, will be available to discuss this latest development during a virtual news conference at 1 pm Friday, July 30. https://vimeo.com/event/1171548

Note: Our next media availability will be Friday’s virtual news conference.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Is hospital capacity at risk?

A: The reason we are adjusting our status is to ensure we have capacity in the future. 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: Across AdventHealth’s nationwide system 94% of patients hospitalized with COVID- 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.

Q. Where should I go if I think I have COVID?

A: Rapid COVID testing is offered at all Centra Care locations. Only go to the emergency room if you are experiencing severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing.