UMass Memorial preparing for coronavirus surge with nine dedicated units

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Memorial Medical Center's Memorial Campus in Worcester

Write a Comment

By Grant Welker

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester has set up six specialized care units for coronavirus patients and is planning to add three more, as health officials plan for a surge of patients in the days and weeks ahead.

UMass Memorial has set up four of what it calls cohorted units at its Memorial Campus and two at its University Campus to care for coronavirus patients. The hospital has been moving intensive care unit beds at the two campuses to create dedicated areas to minimize the risk of spreading the virus, conserve protective equipment for staff, and convert patient rooms to negative pressure, which keeps room air from circulating to the rest of the floor.

By Tuesday morning, UMass Memorial plans to move one ICU at the University Campus' Lakeside building to its existing post-anesthesia care unit. That'll allow the hospital to convert rooms to negative pressure and make a 16-bed coronavirus critical care unit.

Greater Worcester has 126 ICU beds, but only 43 are typically available at a given time for patients, forcing health leaders to scramble for more space. A Harvard Global Health Institute study analyzing hospital referral areas across the country said expected patient needs are expected to far surpass capacity, with the Worcester area among the bottom 15% nationwide in ability to meet the expected need.

Other steps will be taken incrementally as hospital leaders determine there's a need. Another Lakeside ICU would be made into an 18-bed care coronavirus unit, and former acute care telemetry and post-anesthesia care units elsewhere on campus would be made into a 17-bay unit. If needed, a pediatric ICU might also be used for up to five younger adult patients.

Operating rooms and additional recovery room spaces may be used as so-called surge space if needed, but only as a last resort, according to the plan.

The hospital is also developing contingency staffing plans, and buying or renting more ventilations, anesthesia machines and other patient equipment.

Those steps will join many already taken by UMass Memorial to create dedicated space to care for coronavirus patients, including the six existing care units. UMass Memorial Health Care's Marlborough Hospital and HealthAlliance have also added negative-pressure units.

In total, about 150 rooms throughout the system have negative pressure.

UMass Memorial and Saint Vincent Hospital have worked with the City of Worcester to plan for 150 to 200 beds at the DCU Center, and a nursing care facility next to the University Campus, the Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center, is shifting patients to other facilities to free up the space to be used for coronavirus critical care as part of a state-led program.

Greater Worcester has 126 ICU beds, but only 43 are typically available at a given time for patients, forcing health leaders to scramble for more space. A Harvard Global Health Institute study analyzing hospital referral areas across the country said expected patient needs are expected to far surpass capacity, with the Worcester area among the worst nationwide.