The Bedford VA Medical Center has separated those Veterans with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or COVID-19 symptoms from the main population by means of isolation rooms and negative pressure systems, establishing separate “COVID+ wards” within the Community Living Center units. A separate quarantine ward for those who are Persons Under Investigation has also been created.
Editor’s Note: According to https://bit.ly/2S0p0Jo bit.ly/3apVaEl, Bedford’s Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital reports 95 active Covid-19 cases and 3 inpatient deaths as of Wednesday, April 22, 2020.
“Negative pressure isolation rooms are the recommended solution in facility design for infection control efforts,” said Chief Engineer Richard Michaud. “Hospitals use them in patient rooms or larger areas to ensure infectious germs do not spread throughout the facility via the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.”
Anterooms are added to the COVID+ wards to provide a physical separation for the air systems between the COVID+ ward and the rest of the hospital. They also provide appropriate areas for health care providers to put on and remove their personal protective equipment.
Fourth Mission Preparations
Part of the Department of Veterans Affair’s “Fourth Mission” is to support non-VA health care systems in the event those systems encounter capacity issues. Given the significant community exposure seen in Massachusetts, Bedford VAMC wants to be proactive and prepare to house additional COVID+ Veterans.
“Our Engineering team is constructing anterooms to all inpatient units, in case they are needed,” Michaud said. “We’re doing this because we place the health and safety of all Veterans eligible for care and our staff as our top priority.”
The Bedford VAMC leadership team is committed to being transparent with our Veterans’ families about the status of the hospital and the Veterans in each of our units. Bedford VAMC’s Incident Command Center continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including regular coordinating calls within the VA Health Care System, daily monitoring of PPE supply, and continuously reviewing and implementing infection control policy.
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