UMass Memorial officials say they have enough beds, ventilators for coronavirus surge
Photo | Grant Welker
UMass Memorial Medical Center's Memorial Campus in Worcester
UMass Memorial Medical Center leaders in Worcester are expecting more than 600 inpatient coronavirus cases with an expected peak around April 20, they said in an online forum Friday.
An anticipated 634 or so inpatient cases includes 149 who would need intensive care, Chief Medical Officer Andrew Karson said. UMass Memorial had 108 inpatient cases as of Thursday.
That flood of patients would normally be far greater than what UMass Memorial can handle, but help has been given in multiple areas, including the DCU Center in Worcester being set up to handle less-severe cases and Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center next to UMass Memorial's University Campus accepting post-acute care patients.
UMass Memorial has 916 total coronavirus cases, with 19 patients across the hospital system who have died, said Karson. Another 52 patients were under investigation for the virus, he said.
UMass Memorial Medical Center's chief nursing officer and incident commander for coronavirus reponse, Justin Precourt, said the hospital is confident the amount of patient ventilators it has will be enough. An additional 31 were delivered this week and are being retrofitted, he said.
The response to the pandemic locally is centered on Worcester, where UMass Memorial is leading the DCU Center's care operations. But other UMass Memorial hospitals have taken steps, too, including HealthAlliance and Marlborough Hospital, which have both converted ICU rooms to negative pressure to keep potentially contaminated air from circulating outside the room. Both hospitals have a capacity to convert more such rooms, Karson said.
Data released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Friday show Central Massachusetts has fairly significant hospital bed capacity thanks in large part to the DCU Center's role. Of the area's 1,900 beds available now for coronavirus-related use, 65% are now occupied.
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