{"id":2458767,"date":"2020-05-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-23T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=326244"},"modified":"2020-05-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-23T06:00:00","slug":"public-health-orders-will-align-with-aspen-hospitals-patient-capacity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/public-health-orders-will-align-with-aspen-hospitals-patient-capacity\/","title":{"rendered":"Public health orders will align with Aspen hospital\u2019s patient capacity"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-1024x530.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-1024x530.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-768x398.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-1536x796.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/avhtriggers-atd-052320-2048x1061.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Concerning, cautious and comfortable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Those are the three C\u2019s that Aspen Valley Hospital officials are using to help residents, businesses and decision-makers better understand the facility\u2019s patient capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. The three C\u2019s also are intended to inform public health orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">As it stood Friday, the hospital was operating in the \u201ccomfortable\u201d mode, the healthiest diagnosis it can have under a capacity matrix unveiled by CEO David Ressler during a virtual community meeting Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The \u201ccomfortable\u201d status supports loosening public health orders, which happens Wednesday when restaurants and lodges are allowed to open on a restricted basis. Wednesday also marks the first day of phase two of Pitkin County\u2019s \u201c<a id=\"N0xeed730N0x10cdb90:N0xeed730N0xf76200\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/u\/1\/d\/e\/2PACX-1vSC7IP5TQHcA1f-FibfLPZfQv-tmaRYS4OyQBSxhf7dXGRPDydH1IENc8wQEgxdLCRAOT67ahnnYWck\/pubhtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roadmap to Reopening<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe community has done its job and we have effectively and aggressively reduced the instances of the virus,\u201d Ressler said, \u201cand that\u2019s why we are moving forward with the road map.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Hospital coronavirus data is encouraging, Ressler said, noting Pitkin County had a seven-day average of zero new daily cases and an 8% infection rate among 293 people who had been tested at AVH (14 results are pending). The hospital\u2019s staff also is generally healthy, said Ressler, adding \u201cnow at a given time we have two or three employees out with any type of illness.\u201d In late March, the hospital was in its worse shape during the pandemic when 6.5% were out ill with COVID-19 or symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe have a full workforce ready to go to work for our community,\u201d Resler said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For the hospital to maintain its \u201ccomfortable\u201d status, it must continue to meet the following criteria based on daily averages:<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Bed capacity is greater than 50% among the 16 beds in AVH\u2019s progressive care unit and the four in intensive care;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Fewer than six COVID-19-positive patients are in its emergency department;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Fewer than 10 patients at the respiratory tent are reporting COVID-19 symptoms;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Fewer than 16 individuals are taking the free community COVID-19 tests;<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText ListBullet\">\u2022 Fewer than six essential health care workers \u2014doctors, nurses, etc. \u2014 are out simultaneously with COVID-19 symptoms or sick with the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The formula \u2014 called the AVH capacity matrix \u2014 will shape public health orders as retailers, lodges and restaurants prepare for the summer tourism season. As well, the hospital\u2019s capacity matrix will be part of a community-based COVID-19 information dashboard that is tentatively set to debut online Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While hospital authorities have said they won\u2019t give directives to the Board of Health regarding its public orders, the capacity matrix notes that a \u201ccomfortable\u201d rating falls in line with reducing restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ressler, however, cautioned that the pandemic will carry on for months if not years to come, and hospital operations could change with it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIf our capacity starts to diminish, we\u2019re going to become cautious,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to say we need to be careful \u2014 that we\u2019re not allowing this virus to spread too much and start to take up too much of our capacity here at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Under the hospital\u2019s capacity matrix, a \u201cconcerning\u201d status \u2014 a bed capacity of less than 25%, for instance \u2014would signal a need to beef up public health orders. Under a \u201ccautious\u201d mode \u2014when 25% to 50% of the beds aren\u2019t available, among other criteria \u2014 the current public health orders could be maintained as is.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">For now, the hospital\u2019s \u201ccomfortable\u201d level dovetails with the next week\u2019s easing of public health orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County\u2019s new webpage, in the meantime, will serve as a hub of local information related to COVID-19 cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some of the dashboard information will be data driven, such as COVID-19 cases and trends; other details will include public health orders and updates, flight information out of the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, business resources and other items, said Tracy Trulove, the city of Aspen\u2019s communications director who also has been handling local public-information duties during the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The webpage is meant to give residents and businesses a place to one-stop shop for current and pertinent COVID-19-related information, Trulove said, noting that its launch coincides with next week\u2019s new phase of public health orders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Through Friday, a total of 57 positive cases of the novel virus had been reported in Pitkin County since the outbreak, as well as two deaths.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:rcarroll@aspentimes.com\">rcarroll@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/public-health-orders-will-align-with-aspen-hospitals-patient-capacity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concerning, cautious and comfortable. Those are the three C\u2019s that Aspen Valley Hospital officials are using to help residents, businesses and decision-makers better understand the facility\u2019s patient capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. The three C\u2019s also are intended to inform public health orders. As it stood Friday, the hospital was operating in the \u201ccomfortable\u201d mode, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2458767","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-23 06:37:11","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}