I work in a facility space planning department for a large hospital. We just finished converting all the emergency covid projects back to their original states due to non-use. Now we did have a fair share in the ED and ICU but the powers that be decided to go a step further. Bed Towers, Entire 30-room wings set aside for Covid care. Shuffling non-covid patients around to make room. Multiple locations, over 150 rooms. 15 months later.... Like the USNS Comfort leaving New York Harbor. Not. One. Covid. Patient...
I wish you were a little closer to us. I was on the phone all night last night trying to find a bed for a non-covid patient. We have never had to call different states, from last night I know there are no ICU or step down beds in Oklahoma, Kansas or Arkansas. Finally got smart and started calling northeast. Had to fly patient fixed wing to the other side of the state.
Talked to one guy in Oklahoma who was also trying to get beds - he said they were having luck in Denver and Albequerque but since it was out of state, the transport companies were requiring a $10,000 deposit up front to fly people out of state.
I’m all for don’t believe the media, sadly don’t believe our own government but I know first hand it’s crazier than before when we were in this situation. Don’t hear about as many deaths tho so I guess that’s a blessing.
Actually The USS Comfort, docked at Pier 90, treated 179 patients before leaving, most of which were COVID cases.
Initially the idea was to use Comfort as a non-COVID care unit, then COVID broke out on the ship, so they converted the mission to COVID treatment.
Not many, but it was utilized.
"And there were only 62 patients, including 26 in intensive care, on the 500-bed Comfort medical ship, which is dedicated to the sickest COVID-19 cases, an occupancy rate that remained virtually unchanged for a second day. By Saturday night, the ship had treated 100 patients."