Four months into pandemic, Conn. med centers have adapted, expanded, evolved
When the COVID- 19 pandemic hit, hospitals in the region had no playbook in place. There had never been anything like it before, so there was no real protocol for operating during a long- term crisis.
“We were building this plane while we were flying it,” said Kathleen Silard, president and chief executive officer of Stamford Health.
But she and other administrators figured things out quickly. They learned how to expand facilities, increase telemedicine capabilities and fill in gaps in staffing. And many said these are lessons they’ll carry with them should a second wave hit.
“We’re ready if the worst happens and we have another surge,” said Anne Diamond, president of Bridgeport Hospital. “We know how to do this.”
Diamond said the hospital has come a long way since having its first COVID- positive patient on March 14. Within a matter of weeks, she said, the hospital had expanded from three intensive care units to seven, redeployed critical staff to meet demands, and taken other measures to respond to the crisis, such as offering an in- hospital grocery store for staff too exhausted to stop for food on the way home.
Though this wasn’t the first time the hospital had to function in an emergency, Diamond said, the unpredictable, unknown nature of the pandemic was unique. “We knew how to manage a hurricane or snowstorm, but those are shorter term events,” she said. “We didn’t know how long this was going to be.”
Other hospital administrators mentioned similar trials by fire. Stamford Hospital was hit especially hard, as, for a while, Stamford had the most people testing COVID positive in the state. At the height of the pandemic, there were 150 COVID- positive inpatients in the hospital at once.
Silard said the hospital tried to be ready, and stood up an incident command early in the pandemic. It also began expanding capacity, using its former hospital as overflow space.
She said the key to handling the pandemic was thinking “in three time frames — today, tomorrow and three weeks from now.” In other words, the only way to stay on top of the situation has been to constantly try to anticipate the next bend in the road with the illness, Silard said.
For most hospitals, that included making sure that telemedicine was available to anyone who needed care but was trying to avoid a hospital or doctor’s office, said Dr. Daniel Gottschall, vice president of medical affairs for the Fairfield region of Hartford HealthCare and St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
“One of the things made us the most nervous was we were telling people to stay out of the hospital,” he said. “Well, there were people with non- COVID illness who needed care.”
Activity at many of the hospitals has calmed down in recent weeks. For instance, in midApril, Bridgeport Hospital had more than 200 COVID- positive patients. As of Monday, it was down to only 16 positive patients, and had dismantled a tent that had been constructed outside the hospital to treat non- COVID patients.
“We have come through this beautifully,” Diamond said.
Stamford Hospital and St. Vincent’s have also seen their COVID census fall, and, along with it, the need for extra space.
But, in some ways, the hospitals are still recovering from the pandemic, as most said volume has not fully returned to preCOVID levels.
Pamela Scagliarini, Bridgeport Hospital’s chief operating officer, said outpatient services are at 70 percent of their previous levels, and in- patient services are at 85 percent. However, Scagliarini said, the hospital’s Milford campus, which had been maintained as a COVID- free space, is at pre- pandemic levels.
Staff at other hospitals said they also have yet to return to preCOVID levels, though Silard said Stamford is close.
“We’re at about 90 percent of where we were before,” she said. “It’s much better than we were about two months ago when we were still in middle of the pandemic.”
As for what would happen if a second wave hits, most said they should be able to handle it, mainly by learning from the first wave and building on the changes they made during it.
For instance, Scagliarini said, Bridgeport Hospital hopes to institute hands- free temperature checks soon, which will make it easier to screen for the disease. And all of those interviewed said communication — through town hall meetings, emails and the like — is key to staying on top of the pandemic.
Employees and the community need to constantly know what’s going on and how they can protect themselves, Diamond said.
“Communicate, communicate, communicate — and when we think we’ve said enough, communicate some more,” she said.