STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As coronavirus (COVID-19) has now spread to every state in the country and New York City has more than 1,800 confirmed cases, Staten Island hospitals are working to meet the capacity potentially needed to treat those inflicted with the virus.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly said that New York State’s current capacity of 53,000 hospital beds and 3,100 intensive-care beds — which are fitted with vitally-important ventilators — will not be enough to satisfy the demand of hospitalizations that will be caused by the virus.
“You will be short thousands of ICU beds, thousands of ventilators,” Cuomo previously said.
Staffs at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) and Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) are aiming to maximize their capacity well ahead of the potential surge in hospitalizations.
“We are planning for the worst-case scenario,” said Alex Lutz, a RUMC spokesman.
City Hall said 75 coronavirus cases have been confirmed on Staten Island, the Advance/SILive.com reported. As of this morning, RUMC is caring for five confirmed coronavirus patients, but as testing ramps up in New York — with drive-thru testing opening on Thursday — and confirmed cases continue to rise, higher hospitalization numbers are extremely likely.
Comprehensive plans are in place to double RUMC’s hospital bed capacity of about 470, Lutz said, which includes utilizing medical tents — secured with the help of multiple elected officials, including Borough President Jim Oddo and Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn).
The first of two medical tents provided to RUMC has been set-up outside the hospital’s emergency department and has heat, air conditioning, electricity, medical supplies and stretchers, according to Lutz. The placement of the tent allows ambulances to drive right to the structure if needed.
Lutz said the current plan is to use the tent for triage and isolation of patients.
The second tent will probably be set up at a location off of the hospital campus, but that determination has not been officially made, though the hospital is in contact with city agencies to assess how it could be best utilized, according to Lutz.
Inside the hospital, “every inch of space is being explored” to boost the amount of beds in the facility, Lutz said. “We are looking at our capacity within the structure of the hospital itself and not leaving any stone unturned.”
Despite the eventual increase of beds, Lutz said the hospital has aligned with procedures put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies to maintain proper isolation procedures.
“We are ready for this," Lutz said. "We are prepared for this.”
*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***
Both Staten Island University Hospital campuses have a plan to deploy medical tents if the situation requires them to do so, spokesman Christian Preston said.
“If needed, the tent has full utilities (electricity, hot and cold running water, and heat and air conditioning) and would be used to triage patients, assess their condition and, in most cases, discharge home for self-quarantine,” he said. “Patients with more severe cases would be admitted to the hospital for treatment.”
The Advance/SILive.com previously reported that Northwell hospitals have plans in place to handle a surge in patient volume in the borough and the entirety of New York, including transferring patients to Northwell facilities that are less affected by patient influx.
Also, SIUH recently canceled all elective surgeries, which was a measure Dr. Theodore Maniatis, who is responsible for all medical affairs, quality management, patient safety issues and standards of care at the SIUH system, said would further free up beds at SIUH campuses.
The most recent information available indicates that SIUH is currently treating 13 patients with COVID-19 at both sites, and the hospitals are running at 66% capacity, according to Preston — calling the amount of current available space “encouraging."
Michael Dowling, the CEO of Northwell Health, and Ken Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, said: “The entire New York City-area hospital community met today to discuss the COVID-19 crisis. Working together, we will take every necessary measure to ensure that we have enough beds, supplies, and staff to meet this enormous challenge in the weeks and months to come."
“We thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership, and our extraordinary health care workers for their skill, commitment and sacrifice. Their safety is our highest priority. We will report our findings shortly,” Dowling and Raske said in the joint statement.
To supplement the amount of overall available beds in area hospitals, the naval hospital USNS Comfort will dock in New York Harbor, the Advance/SILive.com reported, adding about 1,000 beds to New York City hospitals.
Rose joined with fellow New York Congressmembers José E. Serrano (D-the Bronx), Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island), and Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn/Queens/Manhattan) in a letter Tuesday calling on the president to deploy the vessel.
Cuomo also said he has been in discussion with the federal government on siting mobile hospitals that have capacities of 200-250 people.
Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper told Fox News on Tuesday that the federal government will be engaging the Army Corps of Engineers, which Cuomo has also requested to help construct emergency hospitals.
VISITING RESTRICTED AT HOSPITALS
Both Staten Island hospital systems have restricted visitation due to the spread of the coronavirus.
As of 9 p.m. on Tuesday, SIUH has restricted visitation, a hospital spokesman told the Advance/SILive.com.
The hospital’s website shows that only one adult visitor is allowed at a time in all medical-surgical units, all intensive-care units and emergency departments. Additionally, only one adult visitor is allowed in maternal child units.
No visitors are allowed in post anesthesia care and pulmonary intensive care units, the website says. “For confirmed COVID-19 positive patients, no visitation will be permitted in the ED or inpatient units,” the guidelines say.
Visitors with significant underlying medical conditions will be discouraged from visiting, and those “who have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 will not be permitted to visit unless medically cleared.”
RUMC has also restricted visitors, except in limited circumstances, Lutz said.
One parent or support person is allowed in the pediatric section of the hospital; one parent or support person is permitted in the maternity section; and two parents or support people are able to visit the newborn intensive care unit, according to Lutz.
Any visitor showing signs of illness will be asked to leave immediately, he said.
Echoing sentiments expressed by officials, Lutz said those with mild or no symptoms should stay home; however, if individuals have severe or worsening symptoms, they are directed to call ahead of a visit to the hospital so they can be properly guided before arrival.
Be the first to know: Sign up for our newsletters; and get breaking news and top stories pushed to your phone with the SILive.com mobile app.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Coughs, sneezes, surfaces: Here’s how coronavirus is and isn’t spread
How the coronavirus hit Staten Island: A timeline of the pandemic in our borough
Governor seeks to limit coronavirus’ impact on hospitals
NYPD Commissioner: Cooperation, not closures, expected for ban on dining at restaurants and bars