To: Gavin Newsom
End non-emergent surgery during lockdowns
California has now been placed in another lock down to keep our ICU levels down, however they failed to mention Covid isn’t the driving force behind ICU capacity issues and ICU’s reach capacity in years where Covid didn’t exist. The reason is ICU beds are taken by those who need to elective or non-emergent surgeries and procedures which is one of the largest revenue sources for healthcare facilities. When Covid first hit, hospitals turned away these procedures which keep ICU’s around 50% or less statewide. Since July 4th they have resumed these unnecessary procedures taking up valuable resources in exchange for money, which hospitals are in desperate need of.
Why is this important?
This is important as people are dying everyday and the numbers are spiking yet the hospitals again are brining in non-emergent patient which take up beds. We only have a finite amount of hospital beds and why are we using them in ways that work against the pandemic and resources needed.