Some Rhode Island Covid patients transferred to field hospital

Some Rhode Island coronavirus patients have been transferred to a field hospital due to standard facilities reaching bed capacity, according to the CEO of the state’s largest health network.

The field hospital, located at the Rhode Island Convention Center, has nearly 600 beds and will accommodate patients who are not seriously ill.

“We have a lot of intensive care capacity. We have a lot of ventilation capacity. However, our regular medical booster beds are full” with Covid-19 patients, Lifespan CEO Dr Timothy Babineau said on Wednesday, on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street”.

That’s why Lifespan has set up the additional hospital bed capacity at the convention center, which is located in Providence, Babineau said. It opened on Tuesday. “As of yesterday, we are already transporting patients from the main campuses to the field hospital,” he said. “Unfortunately, Rhode Island is going in the wrong direction,” he added.

Hospitalizations in Rhode Island are at an all time high overall, according to a CNBC analysis of data from the COVID Tracking Project, managed by The Atlantic magazine. There are currently 410 Covid-19 patients hospitalized, and the state’s seven-day average of 354 hospitalized patients is up almost 21% from a week ago, according to CNBC analysis.

In addition to Rhode Island, there are 36 US states, plus Washington, DC, where coronavirus hospitalizations are increasing. The escalating epidemic in the United States has the potential to worsen, health officials said, following Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings in December. The nation’s top infectious disease specialist, Dr Anthony Fauci, warned Tuesday of a “surge in a surge,” which could strain hospital capacities across the United States.

In Rhode Island, a two-week hiatus for state reopening efforts took effect Monday. The restrictions include closing bars while restaurants must operate at one-third of their capacity. In-person classes from Kindergarten to Grade 8 will continue.

Babineau said he expected the state’s intense outbreak to continue in the short term, and he expressed concerns about the burden on healthcare workers, which he called ” hero of this pandemic ”. He added: “They are on the front lines but they are a little tired from the battle.

“One of our biggest concerns, one of our biggest priorities, is adequate staffing and making sure our staff are protected, that they have what they need. bigger challenge for the next two weeks, ”Babineau said, reflecting concerns expressed recently by hospital leaders in states like Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Staffing levels will play a critical role in determining the number of patients sent to the Rhode Island field hospital, Cathy Duquette, director of nursing for Lifespan, told The Associated Press.

“We are ready to accommodate up to 100 patients with the staff that we have been able to secure. If we see an increase in demand, we will definitely look to get more from our agency partners,” she said. in an article published on Tuesday by the AP.

Care New England, another state health system, also opened a field hospital this week in Cranston for patients who are not critically ill, the Providence Journal reported. It has 353 beds.