Blog

New Oregon Hospital Guidelines for COVID19 Patient Overload

January 27, 2022

New Guidelines direct hospitals to rank patients "by evaluating the likelihood of their short-term survival without judgment about their overall quality of life or long-term survival before the current illness."

Oregon hospital's new interim guidelines will help them determine which patients should get lifesaving care if the current COVID-19 surge forces them to choose between people because of a lack of beds, staff, or critical medical equipment.

"These guidelines will only come into play if a hospital has exhausted all other options to treat every patient, including transfers to other facilities, delaying non-urgent surgeries and care, stockpiling supplies, and repurposing existing beds and spaces for critical care patients."

The new policy comes as Oregon faces the highly contagious but milder COVID-19 omicron variant wave. The state set new records for new cases of COVID-19 every day in early January. Health officials announced 10,451 new and presumptive cases, a 373% increase over last month.

Read more here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/oregon-issues-standards-for-hospitals-to-use-when-deciding-on-lifesaving-care-amid-covid-surge/

BrightStar Care BrightStar Care of Portland provides 24/7 to Hourly, Private Duty Home Health Care and Medical Staffing Services.

BrightStar Care offers support around the clock, providing a full continuum of  home care services for COVID-positive patients in Beaverton, Tualatin, Lake Oswego, Gaston, Newberg, Portland, Hillsboro, Forest Grove areas. 

For more information on how BrightStar Care supports COVID-positive patients and supports patients discharged from the hospital, and to learn more about our local team of home caregivers and skilled healthcare professionals – please Click Here.