Steward announces due to increase in cases, more hospitals to have Intensive Care Units dedicated to COVID-19

Due to an increase in cases at the end of the week, local hospitals are changing their Intensive Care Units.

In a statement issued by Joseph Weinstein, Steward Health Care’s Chief Medical Officer before numbers came out on Sunday, the hospital group has decided to turn Intensive Care Units into COVID-19 only treatment areas.

“The current Coronavirus infection that is affecting the United States is an unprecedented public health crisis. There has been a dramatic increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the last several days. Health care organizations are seeing a large increase in patients with severe symptoms that require mechanical ventilation and other forms of critical care. In the last 24 hours, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has seen 1,334 people who were newly diagnosed with COVID19 and tragically we have seen 24 people die from this disease.”

“Like other hospitals, the Steward family of hospitals has seen a dramatic increase in the number of patients seeking medical care. These patients often require minute to minute care with life sustaining machinery, medications and personnel who are at the bedside ready to react to any and all changes. Every critical care unit across the Commonwealth has been overwhelmed by the large numbers of sick patients as well as the acuity of these patients. This trend will accelerate in the coming days and weeks.”

“Effective immediately, due to a dramatic escalation in cases across our service area, all of Steward’s hospitals will have Intensive Care Units dedicated to COVID19 patient care. To meet this need, we are opening new Intensive Care Unit beds at Carney Hospital, Morton Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center and at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, While the situation remains fluid, the only current exceptions to this policy will be the ICU at St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River which will be kept COVID-free as long as possible. Holy Family Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center have two ICUs and, in these cases, the hospital will keep one ICU COVID-free for as long as possible. Maintaining some COVID free medical facilities is particularly important for patients with heart disease, blood clots, cancer and other pre-existing conditions so that they may be treated while minimizing the risk of contracting COVID-19. Any patients who require transfer for intensive care will of course be treated and stabilized before they are transported to the appropriate intensive care unit for their care.”