Following consultation between Aspen Valley Hospital, its physician leaders, and Pitkin County Public Health, AVH has made the determination that its Average Daily Visits have reached a concerning (red) level. As a result of two categories that will now be concerning the overall AVH Capacity status will also be changed from cautious (yellow) to concerning (red).
AVH notes that it has been experiencing staff illness rates related to COVID in excess of 10% for the past several days, with various departments experiencing even greater operational impacts. AVH is monitoring its staffing levels day by day, and even hour to hour, to make operational adjustments in response to short staffing. In some cases, AVH may temporarily curtail severely impacted services, or as necessary to protect capacity for essential services, such as emergencies and traumas.
AVH physicians are observing mostly mild presentations of illness related to Omicron, both in its employee population and patients, for those that are vaccinated and particularly those that are boosted. This highlights the importance of community members being vaccinated and boosted during this period of extreme Omicron transmission. Please see our vaccination page for upcoming clinics to get boosted or vaccinated.
AVH and its physicians strongly encourage community members to double down on the proven and science-based protective measures including vaccinations/boosters, masks while indoors, avoiding large public gatherings, and practicing social distancing. By doing so, community members can protect themselves, their families and loved ones, and the hospital’s capacity so that we can keep our community open.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, visit our Get Vaccinated page.
