For the first time during the pandemic, Springfield, Mo.-based Mercy Hospital is opening a sixth COVID-19 unit, according to a July 11 tweet from Erik Frederick, the hospital's chief administrative officer. 

After a renovation, the shuttered North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville, Ark., will reopen, according to KARK.

The delta coronavirus variant is responsible for more than 40 percent of new COVID-19 hospitalizations at Houston Methodist, researchers told the Houston Chronicle July 7.

Amita Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago is seeking approval to close its pediatric unit, the latest in a string of hospitals to do so, according to local news station WBEZ.

Some hospitals in Florida have closed outpatient sites and rescheduled surgeries in preparation for Tropical Storm Elsa.

A total of 107 babies were born across two stretches totaling 91 hours at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center - Fort Worth's (Texas) Andrews Women's Hospital, CNN reports.

One Brooklyn Health's Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center closed 200 beds and ended inpatient services July 1 as part of a planned transition. 

MercyOne Oakland (Neb.) Medical Center closed July 1 after years of declining inpatient and emergency department volumes.

Four health systems with hospitals facing capacity issues in Portland, Ore., have issued a joint plea for the public to exercise caution over Fourth of July weekend to reduce demand on their emergency departments. 

In areas of Missouri experiencing COVID-19 surges, particularly in spots where vaccination rates are low, hospitals are being stretched thin.

Hospitals in Oregon and Washington are facing critical capacity constraints amid a record-breaking heat wave. 

Healthcare professionals in emergency departments are feeling the effects of understaffing and high-acuity patients, reports The Oregonian. 

For some former COVID-19 patients, elective surgeries may still be a risk even months after the initial infection, especially among those experiencing lingering virus symptoms, Kaiser Health News reported June 28. 

MercyOne Oakland (Neb.) Medical Center is abruptly closing, largely because of low inpatient and emergency department volumes.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are up 210 percent in Greene County, Mo., since June 1, CBS News reported June 23. Cases there have been largely driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. 

Norwood (Mass.) Hospital, which closed a year ago because of widespread flood damage, will be rebuilt, according to WCVB 5. 

Operational challenges create significant pain and are costly for hospitals and health systems.

Virginia's overfilled and understaffed state mental health hospitals are seeking federal funding support, The Washington Post reports.

Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health is experiencing high patient volumes and an elective surgery backlog that is affecting both patients and staff alike.

Like those across the nation, hospital emergency departments in Michigan are seeing a significant increase in pediatric patients who require mental health treatment but can't access an open psychiatric bed, according to WXYZ Detroit.