Inova Activates Emergency Operations Plan to Address Patient Volume Surge
In response to increasing patient volume and strain on hospital capacity, effective Monday, Oct. 24, Inova is activating its internal Emergency Operations Plan. Declaring emergency status allows us to better prioritize patient and team member safety, leverage operational efficiencies, and make decisions in a dynamic environment to better support the evolving needs of the community.
As part of this activation, Inova will stand up its Emergency Operations Center and Hospital Incident Command Centers, which are staffed seven days a week with a multidisciplinary team of clinical, infection prevention, emergency management and other key team members.
Inova Emergency Departments (ED), in particular, across the system are experiencing a significant surge in patient volume, due to an increase in the circulation of respiratory viruses (e.g. RSV, influenza) and other illnesses. Many EDs are operating at capacity and for every patient discharged another is admitted.
Our patients can be assured that Inova is equipped to handle the current surge, as we have always done. We have the resources to continue providing seamless, world-class care to our community and have put every strategy in place to expand capacity where we can, including the construction of a temporary Auxiliary Screening Unit (ASU) outside of the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus ED. While not yet in use, the ASU is a contingency plan which could serve as a pre-triage location to separate patients based on their emergency medical needs, and to help alleviate crowding inside the ED registration areas.
In the meantime, we need the community’s support: get vaccinated for both flu and COVID-19, and boosted for COVID-19 if you’re eligible. Continue to practice safety measures including hand hygiene, masking, and social distancing as appropriate.
In addition, patients are encouraged to consider if the hospital-based emergency department is the appropriate level of care to meet their medical needs. For emergency needs, Inova’s freestanding emergency departments provide the same level of emergency care and may have shorter wait times. If your condition does not require emergency care, consider whether Primary Care or an Urgent Care Center is more appropriate. Inova also partners with DispatchHealth, which provides urgent medical care at your home.
If you are experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department.
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