FAIRBANKS, ALASKA – Foundation Health Partners (FHP) has activated Crisis Standards of Care, due to a critical shortage of resources that include, bed capacity, inability to transfer patients, and monoclonal antibody treatment. This change from Contingency Standards of Care to Crisis Standards of Care went into effect last this afternoon, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital (FMH) Chief of Staff Dr. Terry Conklin, Co-Chair of the Foundation Health Partners (FHP) Ethics Committee Dr. Janice Onorato, FMH Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Martin, FHP Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez gave notice to FHP COVID-19 Incident Command Planning Officer Keith Fehr and Chief Executive Officer Shelley Ebenal that Foundation Health Partners earlier this afternoon.

“The move to Crisis Standards of Care is not something we take lightly,” said Dr. Ramirez. “This is an act of desperation in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community.”

Dr. Ramirez says the decision was made due to a myriad of factors- staffing shortages, available beds, inpatient acuity, community spread driven by low vaccination rates and decreased mask utilization, equipment availability, treatment shortages, high numbers of patients waiting to be admitted and inability to transfer patients to other care facilities.

“This impacts all patient care, those with broken bones, traumas, heart attacks, strokes, COVID, anyone needing medical care could be impacted,” said Dr. Ramirez. “The care we are able to provide is highly fluid and can change day-by-day and even hour-by-hour depending on the availability of resources within our system and statewide.”

While the health care system is at capacity, Ramirez emphatically states not to delay necessary medical care. “You will always receive the best, most compassionate care that we can provide in the moment. Do no delay necessary medical care, I cannot emphasize that enough.”

FHP encourages the community to mask up in public, get tested if you have symptoms and get vaccinated if able.