UMC Resumes Normal Operations, Diversion Ended - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

University Medical Center has resumed normal operations after Tuesday's diversion.

"Our physicians worked closely with the hospital's staff in resolving the issues that placed the hospital at capacity yesterday. The safety of our patients and staff is a top priority," said Greg Bruce, Vice President for UMC Health System.

Hospitals throughout the country are experiencing significant volume issues. In addition, this year's cold and flu season has been very active, with many hospitals setting record volumes.

"We are seeing the normal types of admissions for this time of year. However, the number of patients is significantly higher than normal. Our goal is for the delivery of safe and appropriate care for all our patients. As with all hospitals, the number of patients seeking care at UMC is highly variable. When this occurs, we have systems in place, such as yesterday, to safely manage existing and incoming patients. Our systems were designed to provide a safe environment for our patients and our visitors. The system worked well yesterday," Bruce added.

During the past day, UMC was on diversion for adult regional transfers (patients being transferred from other regional hospitals). Additionally, direct admits (patients being directly admitted from a physician) were temporarily stopped. Some elective procedures scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled.

The UMC Emergency Center continued to accept walk-in patients and ambulances during the vision period. Pediatric patients, as well as patients for the UMC Birth Center were accepted.

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