Research project explores options for national health emergency scenarios
AURORA, Colo. (KRDO) -- Multi-year research explores how existing infrastructure can quickly be converted to provide hospital-level care in the event of a national health emergency.
The University of Colorado (CU) Department of Emergency Medicine received a $12.5 million grant from the Department of Defense in 2023 to develop an alternative care facility (ACF) using creative solutions, according to UCHealth
According to the DoD, national health emergencies or a large-scale overseas combat scenario resulting in a high number of patients could affect national hospital bed capacity within 10 to 12 days.
With the grant, UCHealth says the research team has been able to develop two fully functional intensive care units. These units were developed inside a conference room, and another has been constructed using hotel rooms converted into patient rooms, a nursing station, imaging and laboratory services, says UCHealth.
Officials say this project is not the same as temporary hospital spaces used during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as tents and convention centers. The hotel model offers improved infection control, private bathrooms, and the ability to isolate patients to ensure safer, higher-quality hospital-level care, according to UCHealth.
UCHealth says the first step in the research was developing a ‘playbook’ on how to rapidly set up temporary hospital space in a hotel.
Officials say once the 'playbook' was developed, year two of the research was spent working on an example inside the Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center, located across the street from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
The final phase begins now, according to UCHealth, where the team will focus on testing the example in other cities, finalizing the playbook, and developing tools to help hospitals select appropriate solutions based on their needs and available resources.
“From a disaster preparedness perspective, this is probably the most impactful project I'll ever work on,” said Dr. Jason Persoff, UCHealth physician and associate professor at the CU School of Medicine, who is co-leading the research. “Because of this work, we now have a blueprint to turn a hotel into a hospital-level care site in just two to four weeks. This could save countless lives during a crisis.”
The research is a partnership between UCHealth, the University of Colorado Hospital, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
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