Marin County has converted part of the Marin Center into a makeshift hospital for coronavirus patients.
The facility, which was set up this month, is not staffed with medical workers and no patients have been admitted. But the site is ready to be opened if Marin’s hospitals become overwhelmed, officials said.
“We started this plan when surges were an imminent concern and threat,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s chief public health officer. “It’s waiting in case we need it.”
Marin’s public health officials have been preparing for the possibility of a spike in coronavirus cases that could overwhelm the county’s hospitals, but such a surge hasn’t come. The highest number of patients hospitalized at one time in Marin was reported on April 1, when nine people were being treated for the illness.
Hospitals in the county normally have combined capacity of 239 beds. But amid the pandemic, hospitals are prepared to increase capacity by almost 70%, to about 400 beds total, according to a statement issued by the county.
The treatment center at the Marin Center Exhibit Hall could provide capacity for an additional 100 patients, officials said.
The center is set up with 32 beds, but is ready to be expanded if needed, said Chris Le Baudour, administrator for the county’s Emergency Medical Services Agency.
He said the treatment center would provide care for patients who need medical attention, but not for those with the most severe symptoms, including people who need to be hooked up to ventilators.
“The goal is to free up beds at the hospitals so they can manage the more critical patients,” he said.
The county has spent about $113,000 setting up the facility, including $25,000 for equipment and $88,000 for staff time, according to County Administrator Matthew Hymel. He said operating the facility as a treatment center would cost between $1.5 million and $3 million per month. The county plans to apply for a reimbursement for operating costs — including the cost of renting the Marin Center Exhibit Hall — from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to Hymel.
County supervisors approved up to $3 million last month to fund the treatment center as part of a budget adjustment that allocated $5.9 million for costs related to the county’s coronavirus response efforts.
"emergency" - Google News
May 24, 2020 at 07:46AM
https://ift.tt/2Xo4TXx
Marin Center converted into emergency coronavirus hospital - Marin Independent Journal
"emergency" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2VVGGYQ
https://ift.tt/3d7MC6X
emergency
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Marin Center converted into emergency coronavirus hospital - Marin Independent Journal"
Post a Comment