Hospitals brace for COVID-19 surge

[nitpicker]

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/528033-hospitals-brace-for-covid-19-surge

Hospitals brace for COVID-19 surge
BY PETER SULLIVAN - 11/30/20 04:53 PM EST

Hospitals are facing rising pressure from a surge of coronavirus cases that is threatening to overwhelm their capacity, as the country braces for further escalation following Thanksgiving.

Over 93,000 people are in the hospital with coronavirus, a record level, and the number is only continuing to rise, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
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The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which represents academic medical centers across the country, sent a document to its member hospitals last week reminding them of “crisis standards of care,” which are used to cope with an overwhelming number of patients.
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Orlowski said she expects more hospitals will soon have to start implementing crisis standards, which include stretching resources in ways that would not be done in normal times. For example, a nurse could be caring for four patients at once instead of two, she said. “It’s not a complete drop-off like, ‘You get care and you don’t,’ ” she said. “Instead of getting 100 percent of care, you might get 90 percent or 80 percent.”

Hospitals are already taking extraordinary measures. As part of a two-week “pause” announced by the governor, Rhode Island sent out an alert to residents’ cellphones on Monday reading: “Hospitals at capacity due to COVID. Help the frontline by staying home as much as possible for the next two weeks.” A field hospital is opening in the state this week as well.
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To provide more space for COVID-19 patients, the UC Health hospital system in Cincinnati on Monday converted its Cardiovascular Recovery Unit into surge ICU capacity.
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