On June 5, 2020, Banner Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Marjorie Bessel addressed media at a press briefing to discuss COVID-19 trends and data. Slides from her presentation can be found below.

In addition, here are some of the key messages from the discussion:

• Arizona’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are rapidly increasing. As of June 4, there were 1,234 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. About 50% of those patients are hospitalized in Banner Health facilities.

• Banner Health’s Arizona Intensive Care Units (ICU) are very busy. We have been load balancing between Banner hospitals. This means that we transfer patients and resources between Banner facilities to meet the needs of the community while not stressing any one hospital.

  • To date, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix has seen the highest number of COVID-19 patients within our health system.

• If these trends continue, Banner will soon need to exercise its surge plan to increase ICU capacity. Capacity is determined by beds, staffing and resources needed to care for critically ill patients. 

• Most concerning is the steep incline of COVID-19 patients on ventilators. You’ll see this demonstrated on slide number 4 of the presentation. As of yesterday, Banner’s Arizona hospitals had 116 COVID-19 patients on ventilators.

• These trends are a good reminder for everyone to exercise behaviors that are proven to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Do not leave your home if you are ill except to receive medical care.

  • Wear a mask when you’re in public near others.

  • Stay six feet away from others.

  • Wash your hands frequently.

  • Wipe down surfaces that may be infected.

  • Avoid gatherings of 10 or more people.