After tense months during the latest Covid 19 surge, Alabama hospital intensive care unit space is once going back to pre-pandemic levels.
Now, health care leaders are revisiting the state's ICU availability and considering adding more beds and staff, according to the Alabama Hospital Association.Â
At one point during the past surge, the need for ICU beds was 180 patients more than the maximum available in Alabama.
“There are opportunities to do things better," Dr. Don Williamson with the Alabama Hospital Association said.
"People are already starting to have the conversation about what do they need to do, and we’ve got hospitals that are looking at do we need to do something with our emergency department, do we need to build a new emergency department?â€
The statewide strain on ICUs was felt in other Southern states at the same time, compounding the emergency because doctors in Alabama didn't have the option to send their critially ill patients out of state for care.
ICU space is expensive to build and maintain, but it goes beyond bed space. The staffing shortages present a critical vulnerability that remains, Williamson said.
“How do we build an increased capacity in our ICUs but at the same time not overbuild?“
While there isn't a formal plan in place, Williamson says hospital administrators are beginning to meet to talk about what they can do to create more ICU capacity in the state.
