The 30-bed hospital will relieve mattress capability in 5 well being techniques in Foothills.
LENOIR, NC – The Samaritan’s Purse Emergency Area Hospital in Lenoir will open for COVID-19 sufferers Thursday morning.
The 30-bed discipline hospital is the one one in every of its sort that may function in america as soon as it begins accepting sufferers.
The hospital, which is situated adjoining to Caldwell UNC Healthcare, is designed to ease mattress capability in 5 hospital techniques in Foothills. They’re Catawba Valley Well being System, Caldwell UNC Well being Care, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Carolinas Healthcare System Blue Ridge, and Frye Regional Medical Middle.
Erin Holzhauer, medical director of the emergency discipline hospital, mentioned that COVID-19 instances are anticipated to extend within the coming weeks.
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“After that follows the hospital admissions,” Holzhauer mentioned. “We hope to get right here simply in time to have the ability to relieve sufficient stress to forestall hospitals from tipping over.”
The unit will settle for sufferers who’re COVID constructive however don’t want ventilator assist.
The rooms can have electrical energy, water and heating. Samaritan’s Purse mentioned it added extra steps to its development course of as a result of the potential for snow.
The nonprofit group has constructed related emergency discipline hospitals in Central Park in New York Metropolis and Italy.
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Numbers from the North Carolina DHHS present that greater than 1,000 inpatient beds in mountain counties are presently in use with simply over 900 empty, undeclared, or unstaffed beds.
Anybody with signs of COVID-19 mustn’t go on to the sphere hospital and may as an alternative go to their major care supplier or emergency room.