Coronavirus Surges: Here's How Close HV Hospitals Are To Capacity

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — New data published by federal health officials offers a glimpse into which hospitals across the United States are closest to hitting capacity as the coronavirus gains steam over the holiday season.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began releasing capacity data for thousands of hospitals nationwide last week for the first time. Previously, data about hospital capacity was aggregated at the state level, so the new info paints a clearer picture about how many beds are actually available within individual hospitals. The new, more granular data aggregates daily hospital reports into a "week at a time" picture.

In the Hudson Valley, NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital was past capacity, according to the data for the week of Dec. 4, with 111.9 percent of its inpatient beds in use in a 7-day rolling average.

The data showed six other hospitals were at more than 80 percent capacity for inpatient beds used.

Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, meanwhile, had the most capacity available, using just 52 percent of its adult inpatient beds for that week. Other hospitals that had not hit 60 percent capacity included Northern Dutchess Hospital, Putnam County Hospital and Phelps Hospital.

Health experts told NPR that the ratio of coronavirus hospitalizations to total beds is a key indicator of how strained hospitals are. Experts said it's cause for concern if the percentage is higher than 10 percent. Hospitals experience extreme stress when that number eclipses 20 percent, and immense stress as the number approaches 50 percent.

"It means the hospital is overloaded. It means other services in that hospital are being delayed. The hospital becomes a nightmare," Ali Mokdad, professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and chief strategy officer for Population Health at the University of Washington told NPR.

SEE: Coronavirus Stressing Hudson Valley Hospitals: Report

By that metric, NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt was most severely stressed, with 33 percent of its beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.

Other extremely stressed hospitals — more than 20 percent of their beds occupied by COVID-19 patients — were Vassar Brothers, St. Lukes Cornwall, Montefiore New Rochelle and White Plains.

Only two hospitals had fewer than 10 percent of adult inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients: Phelps in Sleepy Hollow and St. Joseph's in Yonkers.

The data was released in the same week New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state's system of yellow, orange and red zones where the virus spread is most intense will be calibrated, moving forward, based on hospital capacity as well as positivity rates.

The state will reenact the NY PAUSE shutdown by region should the seven-day hospitalization growth rate indicate that hospitals in that region be on track to hit critical capacity — or 90 percent — within three weeks. Cuomo also ordered all hospitals to increase bed capacity by 25 percent.

"A shutdown is a real problem," Cuomo said at a news briefing Monday. "Worry about that."

Here are the capacity numbers for Hudson Valley hospitals, according to the federal Health and Human Services data. The hospitals are organized by county, starting with the hospitals with the highest percent of inpatient beds used.

Dutchess County

Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 348
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds Occupied (7-day average): 299.3
• Percent of inpatient beds used (Overall): 86 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 87.7
• Percent of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 25.2 percent

Northern Dutchess Hospital (Rhinebeck)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 100
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 59.9
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 59.9 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 9.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 9.9 percent

Orange County

Garnet Health Medical Center (Middletown)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 398
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 295.6
• Share Of Inpatient Beds Used (Overall): 74.27 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 55.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 14 percent

St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 160.9
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 137.3
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 85.3 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 44.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 27.9 percent

Putnam County

Putnam County Hospital Center (Carmel)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 114
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 65.9
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 57.8 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 15
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 13.1 percent

Rockland County

Good Samaritan Hospital (Suffern)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 265
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 216.6
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 81.7 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 86.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 14.56 percent

Helen Hayes Hospital (Haverstraw)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 90
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 71
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 78.8 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 11.4
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 12.6 percent

Montefiore Nyack Hospital Center

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 153
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 125
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 81.69 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 28.7
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 18.76 percent

Ulster County

HealthAlliance Hospital (Kingston)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 115
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 92.6
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 80.5 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 21
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 18.2 percent

Westchester County

NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital (Cortlandt)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 130.7
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 146
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 111.9 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 43.4
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 33.2 percent

Northern Westchester Hospital Center (Mount Kisco)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 179
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 93.3
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 52 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 31.6
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 17.65 percent

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 86
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 67.7
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 78.7 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 18.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 21.9 percent

Phelps Hospital (Sleepy Hollow)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 183
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 106.3
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 58 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 9.3
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 5 percent

Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 731
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average) 582.6
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 79.7 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 101.6
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds Used By COVID-19 Patients: 13.9 percent

White Plains Hospital

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 285
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 250
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 87.7 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 74.3
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 26 percent

St. Joseph's Hospital (Yonkers)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 116
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 85.3
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 73.5 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 6.9
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 5.9 percent

St. Johns Riverside Hospital (Yonkers)

• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Beds (7-day average): 371
• All Adult Hospital Inpatient Bed Occupied (7-day average): 225.4
• Share of inpatient beds used (Overall): 60.75 percent
• Total Adult Patients Hospitalized Confirmed And Suspected COVID-19 (7-day average): 49.1
• Share of Adult Inpatient Beds used By COVID-19 Patients: 13.2 percent