A coronavirus outbreak at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen caused the hospital to go on divert for a time.
A spokesperson for the hospital says that the divert lasted four hours, which is typical for any divert. Patients were transferred and ambulances were diverted in an effort to alleviate some patient volumes.
“When you look at our staff across the Hackensack Meridian Health network, less than 1.5% of our total clinical workforce is currently out of work. ‘Out of work’ is defined as 1) COVID-19 positive cases and 2) those who have symptoms and are undergoing testing. This is a decrease from just a couple of days ago as we see more team members returning to work,” the spokesperson said.
Hackensack Meridian Health said that the divert did not impact any patient care and that there is adequate staffing to maintain the hospital.