Yuba-sutter establishes alternative medical spaces

Two local alternative medical sites have been identified to enhance hospital capacity in the event of a local surge in coronavirus cases.

Yuba-sutter Emergency Services, working with Adventist Health/ Rideout and local health groups, designated the Yuba City High School and River Valley High School gymnasiums as alternative sites.

The gymnasiums will soon be staged with a combined 500 beds and medical equipment. The purpose of the sites will be to provide continued care for coronavirus patients who are deemed stable for discharge, but need continued monitoring and as

sistance.

“Somebody who, perhaps, tested positive and did have some complications, but were on the mend,” said Yuba County Public Information Officer Russ Brown. “Their symptoms were declining but (they were) not ready to go back for release. We can still monitor and care for them.

We want to make sure the (hospital) room is freed up to take on those serious cases.”

Communities across the country are taking this proactive step, adding medical space to prepare for the potential increase in severely ill coronavirus patients.

“Establishing these two alternate medical care sites is crucial, as we face the possibility of our region being hit with an unprecedented increase in ill coronavirus patients,” Yuba-sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said in a press release. “We need to plan for the worst case scenarios, but we hope it will never become necessary to fully use those two buildings.”

The additional space for an anticipated spike in medical need is part of a process called “surge capacity.” Brown said local health providers have made their own surge plans, such as increasing the number of ventilators, so the alternative sites – selected for their size, electrical capacity, location and other factors – are intended as a backup.

“Surge capacity planning is integral to our day-to-day emergency operations in an effort to ensure that our local health system, including our only hospital, can continue to adequately support patients and staff,” Luu said.

In addition to beds, Yuba-sutter Emergency Services secured 1,000 blankets, 1,000 pillows, portable restrooms and shower facilities for the alternative sites.

“These are two sites we hope we never have to fully use, but models we are seeing for the potential spread of the coronavirus compel us to do all we can to get ahead of this threat,” Yuba County Administrator Robert Bendorf said in the press release.

The best way to avoid the worstcase scenario is residents adhering to the shelter-in-place directive, taking extra precautions when running errands and avoiding group gatherings, Luu said.

“We’re given these projections of what’s to come and it very much depends on how disciplined we as a community are in staying home as much as we can,” Brown said.

Current models indicate cases could far exceed the bed space available at Adventist Health/rideout.

“It would have been irresponsible to take a wait-and-see approach with COVID-19 before starting the process to set up alternative sites,” Luu said. “The risk is very real, and we have to act now to ensure medical resources are available, should we see a serious rise in cases.”

For the most current information, check Bepreparedyuba.org or Bepreparedsutter.org. A bi-county Call Center is also fielding general calls from the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. at 749-7700.