LAKE MARY, Fla. - Health First, which owns and operates Cape Canaveral Hospital, Holmes Regional Medical Center, Palm Bay Hospital, and Viera Hospital in Brevard County, has announced it will be postponing scheduled, non-emergency surgeries and procedures which require a hospital bed.

The change in policy goes into effect on Thursday, July 28, and will continue through Sunday, August 15.

"This proactive decision was made in the interest of community safety and to ensure we are prepared and can provide additional space if needed to care for COVID-19 patients in our facilities," said Health First spokesman Lance M. Skelly in a statement sent to FOX 35 News.

This will also provide an opportunity for clinical staff to provide additional support in critical areas, according to Skelly.

"Our healthcare system will continue to care for patients and perform all other surgeries and procedures. Patients with scheduled elective procedures and surgeries will be directly contacted with further instructions," he added.

The announcement came on the same day that AdventHealth said its hospitals in Central Florida were moving to "red status." The distinction means that in order to free up bed capacity, elective surgeries will be postponed and rescheduled.

The hospital said it comes after a surge of COVID-related cases and hospitalizations are flooding their facilities. As of Monday morning, AdventHealth said it had 862 COVID patients across Central Florida.

Meanwhile, Orlando Health said it has adjusted its visitation policy for patients due to the resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

Last week, Halifax Health said its hospital network had exceeded their peak COVID-19 hospitalizations by 40%. Of those admitted, 90% were unvaccinated. The delta variant is the most common strain found in patients.

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