As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Ohio continue to climb, additional hospital space will soon be needed.
And when it is, Case Western Reserve will be one of the entities answering the call.
On Thursday, Case Western announced in a letter to faculty and students that the Samson Pavilion of its Health Education Campus is already in the process of transforming into a coronavirus surge hospital. Located just across the street from Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, the shared 477,000-square-foot structure will allow for full monitoring of up to 1,000 patients, in addition to the administration of needed oxygen and IV medications.
Given its proximity to the Cleveland Clinic's main campus, Case Western called the transformation an "obvious choice." While the building was originally intended for more general patient overflow, the Health Education Campus now will serve low-acuity patients with COVID-19, which was described as "those whose condition is not so serious that they need to be on a ventilator or receive significant amounts of oxygen."
"We all wish that the state’s stay-at-home order and other mitigation measures would leave every HEC bed empty," President Barbara R. Snyder said in the letter. "But given other communities’ experiences, I feel deep gratitude that the HEC will allow more patients to receive essential care during this crisis."
On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine officially announced all of the state's sites for coronavirus surge hospital, including Case Western Reserve. Here is the complete list:
1. Seagate Convention Center, Lucas Co
2. Case Western University’s Health Education Campus, Cuyahoga Co
3. Dayton Convention Center, Montgomery Co
4. Covelli Convention Ctr, Mahoning Co
5. Duke Energy Convention Ctr, Hamilton Co
6. Greater Columbus Convention Ctr, Franklin Co
"Assessments of other sites will continue, as we look for additional space, should it be needed," DeWine added.