MVHS triage tents

MVHS triage tents

The coronavirus pandemic continue to write the manual on how to fight it, at the local level, on a daily basis.

Today, in utica, this involved extending two hospitals' emergency departments....outdoor s.

Newschannel 2's joleen ferris is live at st.

Elizabeth medical center with details.

Joleen?

Lots of needs to be met here: the need of the sick to be seen and to feel comfortable and safe coming here to be seen.

And, the safety of the doctors, nurses and aides providing the care, and of all patients and staff.

Dr. a.

Kambhampati coronavirus cases are growing locally, prompting mvhs to build respiratory triage tents outside st.

Lukes and st.

Elizabeth 10:19 "this is truly an extenstion of the emergency department" it took about 2 and a half weeks, from conception to reality.

A triage nurse and physician's assistant will staff the tents 11-7, every day.

This weekend illustrated the need for them.

Dr. a.

Kambhampatidr. a.

Kambhampati .

None .

None 5:03 "so, it's getting worse.

This weekend was when we really started to see the surge of covid patients.

Covid 19 patients and that percentage is steadily increasing.

I don't have exact numbers for you.

I worked last night and i can tell you anectodatally that number is steadily, steadily increasing" dr. k two patients at a time can be evaluated in the tents.

They can do some coronavirus testing in them.

Results aren't immediate.

But the tents allow them to be evaluated and, if the virus is suspected, masked, before they enter the emergency department, if they need to enter, thus protecting other patients and staff.

2:43 'our biggest intent was to make sure people feel comfortable coming to the e.d.

I think there's medical people who are worried about coming in.

So the point of this is to keep the respiratory patients isolated so that medical patients feel comfortable with coming in, veing seen for what the need to" > mvhs officials were touched by the generosity in the community in helping get these tents set up.

Clinton tractor loaned mvhs 2 golf carts to bring patients from the tents to the actual ers if necessary.

Gaetano construction donated the tents, propane heaters and tanks and other equipment.

New york now has a pool of 82 thousand people who have