Cook Children’s postponing elective surgeries due to staff, bed shortages amid latest COVID-19 surge

Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is rescheduling all elective surgeries that require inpatient admission to Oct. 11 or later due to the latest surge of COVID-19, the hospital said in a prepared statement issued Thursday evening.

“We’re taking this extraordinary step to utilize Cook Children’s perioperative RNs in other areas of the hospital, including ICUs,” the statement said. “As reported in the media week after week, pediatric beds in our community are scarce, and Cook Children’s is no exception.

“For the past month, we have evaluated elective surgeries on a case-by-case basis and rescheduled as needed,” it said. “As more and more inpatient beds are needed with no end in sight, the situation is dire, and this strategy will no longer suffice. There are only so many beds available, and we must provide room for critically ill children who must be hospitalized.”

“This is not a decision our administrative team takes lightly,” said Stan Davis, chief operating officer for the Cook Children’s Health Care System. “Elective surgeries are not synonymous with cosmetic or unnecessary procedures. These are children who require surgical intervention to improve their health and wellbeing. We are doing everything in our power to ensure every child who needs us is taken care of.”

Cook Children’s also stated it’s having to turn divert patients from the hospital when beds are unavailable.

“If we have to divert a patient away from Cook Children’s, we ensure we find them an appropriate facility, though that may be several hours away from home or even in another state,” said Cheryl Petersen, Cook’s chief nursing officer.

The hospital is asking the public to get the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and all eligible children, noting that half of the COVID-19 patients it has treated since the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children 12 and up have been unvaccinated teens.