YRMC erects tents for patient evaluations
Yellow tents set up along Avenue A
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - You may have noticed the bright yellow tents now lined up outside Yuma Regional Medical Center's (YRMC) Emergency Department. They're part of the hospital's efforts to fight the spread of coronavirus.
On Wednesday, YRMC began using the tents for the first time.
The hospital first tweeted about the tents last week:
The hospital wants to reassure the public the tents are not being used for coronavirus testing. But rather, the tents are being used to evaluate patients before they enter the emergency room. It's a strategy designed to protect health care workers, patients, and the public from the virus.
This is how the emergency room check-in process will work:
- Emergency patients will be greeted and quickly assessed by a registered nurse at the outdoor check-in area.
- Patients with respiratory complaints will be evaluated in the next tent.
- Those patients determined to have additional complications from a higher risk of coronavirus will be brought into the Emergency Department through a special entrance.
- Persons found to be at low risk for coronavirus, whose symptoms do not require medical treatment, will be asked to self-quarantine and recuperate at home.
A care team consisting of a medical provider and a nurse will perform assessments and evaluations. Other than chest x-rays, no treatment will take place inside the tents.
YRMC says the tents should not present a problem for expectant mothers arriving at the hospital. It has put up barricades and signs clearing a path to the Labor and Delivery entrance. Patients are encouraged to park in front of the Administrative Center just south of Labor and Delivery, to avoid passing through the tents.
YRMC reminds the public their primary care doctor should be their first resource for coronavirus. Please call your doctor before going to his or her office. If you do not have a primary care physician, you can call the YRMC CareLine at (928)336-CARE (2273).
