MEDIA CONTACTS
Amanda Nageleisen
amanda.nageleisen@uchealth.com
513-503-3368
Christa Hyson, MPH
chyson@healthcollab.org
(513) 247-5254
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – READ IN SPANISH
COVID-19 Regional Alternate Care Site to Demobilize
The Duke Energy Center care site will remain ready to reactivate if needed
CINCINNATI (Monday, May 4, 2020) — The region’s COVID-19 alternate care site at the Duke Energy Center will demobilize, returning and removing rented equipment. If needed, the site will be ready to reactivate to accept patients within a maximum of seven days.
Original plans for the alternate care site included preparation to receive up to 500 patients that could not otherwise be safely cared for in the region’s hospitals. That plan was quickly transitioned to preparing for approximately 150 patients as Ohio citizens effectively participated in social distancing efforts to flatten the curve.
Leaders representing the region’s healthcare systems, public health departments and The Health Collaborative have developed extensive monitoring and modeling capabilities that make it safe to now increase our readiness window from four days to seven days without any impact to regional preparedness.
“We monitor the number of COVID-19 cases each day and will be able to activate again quickly if needed,” explains Dustin Calhoun, MD FAEMS, medical director of emergency management for UC Health and one of three leaders leading the alternate care site development for the greater Cincinnati region. “Returning rented equipment now, with the plans in place to quickly and effectively reactivate, is the right thing to do so we remain prepared to care for our communities while also being fiscally responsible.”
Officials representing Cincinnati’s healthcare systems, public health, The Health Collaborative, the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County leadership, the State of Ohio, Butler County Incident Management Team and the National Guard and many others have worked together to make this decision and to ensure that it will in no way negatively affect our region’s ability to respond to any future community need.
“I am confident that we are ready to respond if we see a surge in COVID-19 positive cases that require hospitalization and care beyond what our hospitals can safely provide,” said Calhoun. “This is a service that we prepared with the hope that we would never have to use it. I’m grateful to our partners from around the region that have worked together to make this happen and will help us to remain at the ready to reactivate if needed.”
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