Whether you call it the makings of a “tridemic” or an emerging “twindemic,” the surge of hospitalizations of patients with respiratory infections from RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), influenza (flu), and the coronavirus (COVID-19) are impacting hospitals across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports an estimated 2.8 million flu cases, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 1,300 deaths. While yearly COVID cases have been declining, this past month, the number of weekly cases of coronavirus infections increased to 20,000.

With many pediatric centers being at or near capacity for RSV admissions, hospitals are seeing prolonged emergency room holds while waiting for inpatient beds to become available. The higher level of care needed to treat sick children, along with the increase in patients needing medical attention resulting from the flu, is requiring hospitals to establish additional capacity by setting up “overflow tents” and field hospitals.

Field Hospitals to Meet Patient Demand

Below is a list of hospitals that have set up overflow units and field hospitals to meet the growing patient demand and alleviate the emergency department volumes and wait times:

• Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora (Colorado)
• Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, California
• Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla, California
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital in Mesa, California
• UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Georgia)

A 10-bed BLU-MED medical facility was deployed the first week of November when UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh was experiencing a rapid surge of pediatric patients with RSV. The “medical tent” is set up in the ambulance bay outside the emergency room and is intended to alleviate the emergency department wait times. According to Raymond Pitetti, MD, director of the Emergency Department, “The [medical] tent is well equipped and fully staffed, enabling us to further streamline our process as we assess the needs of our patients.”

BLU-MED Medical Shelters and Field Hospitals for Patient Surges 

For more information about BLU-MED or our negative pressure rooms and mobile field hospitals and medical shelters, call us at +1-(888)-680-7181, email inforeq@blu-med.com, or fill out the online inquiry form on our contact page.