Yuma Regional Medical Center releases surge plans
YRMC says it is prepared for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) says its team is prepared to care for the local community.
Yuma currently has 645 positive cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), and these numbers are expected to rise. The county also reports 45 of these cases are hospitalized.
Today, YRMC confirms 21 of these patients are in the ICU and the ICU has not reached capacity. The hospital has also released the following plan:
- A phased capacity plan, to accommodate higher volumes, has been in place since March.
- An additional COVID-19 designated unit is on stand-by and ready to operationalize when needed. It is currently not open.
- YRMC Nursing Deployment Command Center was developed in early April, in the instance that additional staffing is needed. While volumes have not yet warranted activation, it stands ready to activate within 60 minutes.
“We remain in a good position to care for our community. Our teams are prepared and ready to serve additional patients who present to our YRMC Emergency Department, says Dr. Bharat Magu, YRMC Chief Medical Officer.
“We have additional capacity, yet it is important that we maintain resources at a level that will not put our local community in jeopardy.”
YRMC says it is currently working to support the coordination and planning for a potential significant surge of COVID-19 patients that might come from outside facilities, saying it is currently unable to accept a large number of transfers from other facilities.
“As a community hospital, it is important that we maintain capacity for those who present to our hospital and need care,” said Magu.
While the number of cases continue to increase, YRMC says it is confident in the efforts of its team, and is working to manage supplies and develop staffing models as needs continuously change.
