IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital team members in the emergency department on April 8, 2020. IU Health Ball Memorial photo
MUNCIE —Since re-opening elective services to the public after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has been battling the virus and treating the community's other medical needs.
With a surge in COVID-19 cases and an increase in emergency room needs, the hospital now is operating near full capacity.
In mid-May, Jeff Bird, president of IU Health’s East Central Region, told The Star Press Ball Memorial was focusing on its “next” normal, re-opening parts of the hospital in measured ways.
The plan included a two-week period during which he hoped to get up to 25% of usual volume in urgent or elective procedures, followed by an increase by 18 or 20% in inpatient, outpatient and office visits every two weeks.
Now, as September draws to a close, officials say the hospital is close to full capacity, with inpatient, office visits and procedural volumes returning to pre-COVID levels.
Copyright ©2024 The Star Press