Buffalo-based Catholic Health opened New York's first dedicated COVID-19 treatment facility at its St. Joseph Campus in Cheektowaga on March 26. Since then, the facility has discharged more than 100 patients and oversees care for the largest number of COVID-19 patients in western New York.
Six things to know about the effort:
1. Catholic Health converted its St. Joseph campus into a dedicated COVID-19 facility in just one week.
2. The hospital is capable of providing acute and critical care services for up to 188 patients who are directly admitted from other Catholic Health hospitals.
3. Rebecca McCormick-Boyle, BSN, RN, the system's chief integration officer, oversaw the transition and is now acting as incident commander of the COVID-19 treatment center full time.
4. As of April 19, 88 patients were receiving care at the facility. Catholic Health discharged its 100th patient from the treatment center the weekend of April 18-19, playing Journey's song "Don't Stop Believin'" to celebrate the send-off.
5. In the past month, Catholic Health has also reopened a former nursing home to serve as a dedicated COVID-19 post-acute care facility in Orchard Park, N.Y., and augmented its home care division to better support COVID-19 patients, according to the system's President and CEO Mark Sullivan.
6. Catholic Health is also partnering with a local clothing manufacturer to design and produce 5,000 reusable medical gowns for healthcare workers on the COVID-19 front lines in western New York.