One of the region's largest health networks has launched a respiratory surge unit at its hospital in Miami County — a region that saw a large uptick in COVID-19 cases last week following an outbreak at a nursing home in Troy.
The unit opened this week at Upper Valley Medical Center — a Premier Health general medical and surgical facility near Troy. It offers multiple levels of care for respiratory patients, including those who are considered high risk.
"We will continue to adjust capabilities as the situation evolves," site director Gail Peterson told DBJ in a statement.
Related: As COVID-19 cases surge, understaffed hospitals face another epidemic
To enhance the safety of patients and staff, UVMC has also implemented a new process for patient screening at the emergency department entrance.
The process, called "split flow," enables the hospital to separate patients who are exhibiting flu-like or upper respiratory infection symptoms from those who are not.
Local hospitals have been forced to rapidly adapt as the contagious respiratory disease spreads throughout Miami Valley. Remote testing and visitor restrictions were among the first measures implemented.
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As of Thursday, March 26, there are 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases and four deaths in Miami County, according to the Miami County and Ohio departments of health. Most of those are tied to the outbreak at Koester Pavilion, a skilled nursing facility in Troy.
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Upper Valley Medical Center is the 11th-largest hospital by net revenue in the Dayton area, according to DBJ research. In 2018, it operated 182 active licensed beds and admitted more than 7,000 patients.
2018 net revenue
| Rank | Prior Rank | Hospital |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Miami Valley Hospital |
2 | 2 | Kettering Medical Center |
3 | 3 | Dayton VA Medical Center |