London's COVID-19 field hospital: 10 questions answered
If activated, the facility will be used to treat non-critical COVID-19 patients
London health officials toured reporters through a temporary off-site hospital set up this week inside the Agriplex building at the Western Fair Distract.
The hospital, which will be ready to take patients as early as Friday, opens as London prepares to face an expected surge of cases in a COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 80,000 globally.
Here's a primer on the field hospital and how it will be used. The information here is from interviews with Neil Johnson, acting CEO of London Health Sciences (LHSC) and Dr. Ian Ball, a critical care specialist with LHSC.
1. Who will be treated here?
If it's activated, the off-site hospital will be used to treat non-critical patients recovering from COVID-19. Essentially its patients will be those no longer needing intensive care, but not yet well enough to go home. Patients at the field hospital, for instance, will not be those who need ventilators.
2. Why is it needed?
The expected surge in coronavirus patients has the potential to overwhelm hospitals in London and the surrounding region. The off-site hospital at the Agriplex will be a place where less critical patients can be moved to free up space in the main hospitals' intensive care units. Hospitals have already shifted staff and re-assigned space so that ICU capacity has been tripled. But if too many patients require ICU care at the same time, the hospitals may need the extra capacity a field hospital offers.
3. Are we sure will it be needed?
No. London hospitals have been making big adjustments to devote as much space and staff resources to COVID-19 as possible. If it turns out hospitals aren't overrun, then the off-site hospital won't be activated. Health officials say this would be a fantastic outcome.
4. How is it set up?
The field hospital currently has eight pods, each with 18 beds for a total of 144 beds. The pods have patient rooms with walls formed by white tarps stretched over steel frames. The standard patient rooms have no ceiling but one room in each pod is a resuscitate room, with more space for a care team, a ceiling and a negative pressure system. These will be used to treat patients who become critical. The overall layout of the pods allows medical staff to enter them from one side and other services (food, linen, etc) to come in from the other side. It's a design that's been used, and proven effective at other off-site hospitals.
5. What if the off-site hospital fills up?
The entire setup is meant to be scalable. Three more phases, at 144 beds each, can be added in about a week at the Agriplex site. Other sites at the Western Fair District can also become patient care areas if needed.
6. Can patients have visitors?
No. The hospital is managed by London Health Sciences and if activated, it essentially becomes an extension of their operation. That means the same rules apply as permanent hospitals during the pandemic, to prevent the spread of infection. So no visitors in person, although they're working on ways to accommodate "virtual visits."
7. Will this be a full service hospital?
There will be limitations but it won't be bare bones. The site will have equipment and technology to access patient records, perform lab tests, ultrasounds and X-rays.
8. How much will this cost?
So far about $750,000 but Johnson said this total will rise because there is still equipment to buy.
9. Can patients walk in and receive care?
No. The field hospital will only handle patients who were already admitted at other hospitals.
10. Why this location?
It's large, centrally located and has plenty of parking and easy access to loading. The space was also used during a disaster simulation the city held last year.
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