Portland area hospitals join as unified system in coronavirus response

Hospitals in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area will conduct joint operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said in a media briefing this week, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Hospitals that are a part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence; Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health, both headquartered in Portland, will work under a joint command, focusing on maximizing capacity for the expected influx of COVID-19 patients.

"Metro hospitals will act as one, large unified hospital system for the treatment of COVID-19," the governor said.

The state also plans to add beds to non-hospital settings, as the state will need about 1,000 more beds than the 6,601 staffed hospital beds it has, Renee Edwards, MD, CMO of Oregon Health & Science University told reporters at the briefing.

Like hospitals across the country, Oregon hospitals are also delaying elective surgeries.

The state also has taken several social-distancing measures, including banning gatherings of more than 25 people and restricting restaurants and bars to offering delivery or carryout food only.

More articles on public health:
15 coronavirus resource sites created by hospitals
5 tips on talking to patients about coronavirus, from NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci
5 health systems with in-house COVID-19 testing

 

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