Fewer than 1-in-4 adult intensive-care unit beds statewide are empty, according to data from the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
Thursday morning the state’s database showed 25.7% of ICU beds available in Jacksonville with 100% of ICU beds in use at UF Health Jacksonville hospital, while other Duval County hospitals had varying levels of ICU beds available.
6/22/2020 Editor's Note: After this story's original publication WJCT News obtained the following statement from UF Health Jacksonville concerning it's ICU beds, saying that ICU bed availability is a "tricky thing" because the numbers can change hourly.
“At a specific moment in time it’s possible that we show no beds available, but an hour later we have some open. Since we’re a trauma hospital the vast majority of ICU beds are taken up by trauma, cardio and surgical patients (so not COVID, which are just a handful at most anytime),” the statement read.
Related
- State Defends ICU Capability, Reporting Changes (6/23/2020)
- Curry Says No To Mask Mandate; Duval Averaging Over 190 COVID-Cases Daily Since Last Week (6/22/2020)
- Mayor Curry: Jax 'Experiencing Surge' In COVID-19, But Hospitals Not Seeing Spike (6/19/2020)
There are a total of 327 ICU beds in Duval County, according to the database.
St. Johns County’s ICU units had the most availability with 54.5.% of the beds open. Clay County had 23.8% and Nassau County had 25% of ICU beds available.
Florida had 6,006 adult ICU beds as of Wednesday, with 1,409 available.
The issue has drawn attention as hospitals treat patients with COVID-19, which is particularly dangerous to seniors and can require treatment in intensive-care units.
Related: Local, State, And National Coronavirus Coverage
The availability of adult ICU beds varies by county.
Rural Jackson County, for example, has only six adult ICU beds, and five were available Wednesday. Meanwhile, St Lucie County had just 8.89 percent of its 90 adult ICU beds available, the lowest percentage in the state.
In COVID-19 hot spots, Palm Beach County had 73 of its 406 adult ICU beds available, meaning that 82% were occupied. Miami-Dade County had 980 adult ICU beds, with 240 of them, or about 24%, available.
It was a similar story in neighboring Broward County, where 24% of the 478 ICU beds were available. Rates were lower in some other large urban counties, including in Pinellas County, where 15% of the 326 beds were open.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
