Ochsner shares strategies for coping with COVID-19 surge

Ochsner Health, a nonprofit health care system based in New Orleans, a U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, received its first coronavirus patient on March 9. Less than a month later, hospital executives shared their strategies for navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic during an Apr. 2 press briefing. Shortages of beds and ventilators, significantly longer stays in intensive care and reduced emergency room volume set the stage for Ochsner’s response, which included opening 50 additional ICUs beds at the end of March and preparing to open 60 more. Staffing shortages were acute, leading Ochsner to redeploy staff from other areas of the hospital and recruit nurses from out of town. Ochsner entered the crisis with adequate personal protective equipment on hand and is now working with local sources for surgical gowns and hand sanitizer. The hospital also has improved its turnaround time on testing by increasing its in-house lab capacity. These actions, along with others, are highlighted in the article. (HealthLeaders Media story, 4/3/20)