Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health said Sept. 15 that it closed about 180 beds because of staffing challenges.
The health system said it is facing a shortage of nurses, nurse assistants and phlebotomists, among other positions, and is working aggressively to recruit new team members.
The closure affects about 5 percent of its 3,375 beds and is expected to be temporary.
Beaumont said the staffing shortage comes as its 10 emergency departments are experiencing extreme patient volumes from deferred care and a spike in COVID-19 cases.
"Our staff must care for those unvaccinated individuals who become extremely ill with the COVID Delta variant, or other variants, and try to balance all the other patients coming in with medical emergencies. Add in a staffing shortage, and you have a perfect storm," Beaumont Health CEO John Fox said in a news release.
Earlier this week, Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System closed 120 beds because of staffing challenges.