As part of its global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, International Medical Corps has deployed emergency medical field units, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies to four acute care hospitals in Los Angeles operated by Avanti Hospitals—East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital, Community Hospital of Huntington Park, Coast Plaza Hospital and Memorial Hospital of Gardena—that are facing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Medical Corps field units enable hospitals to expand triage and treatment space at existing facilities, improve patient flow and keep COVID-19 patients separated from other patients. Depending on the configuration chosen, hospitals can potentially treat hundreds of extra patients per day with the field units, which can include patient beds, medical examination supplies, portable sinks, power, lighting and HVAC units. The field units can be constructed in approximately six to 12 hours, be operational within 24 hours and withstand sustained winds of up to 80 mph. Each hospital determines specifically how it intends to use the additional space and resources.
The Avanti Hospitals, which are managed by Pipeline Health, will use their emergency medical field units to continue patient testing and care during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The field units, equipment and supplies are funded by AbbVie, and will help increase capacity at overburdened hospitals throughout the US, where International Medical Corps plans a total of 20 deployments. Emergency medical field units are now in greater Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and two cities in Puerto Rico; further deployments of equipment, staff and supplies are planned in New York, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans and Boston. FedEx provides related logistical and shipping support to the nationwide effort.
International Medical Corps also has activated its volunteer roster of nearly 300 medical professionals to provide medical surge capacity to hospitals around the country, to fill critical gaps in patient care, nursing, and infection prevention and control. In addition, it is training existing hospital staff on preparedness, response and mental health needs as needed, and providing online training through its COVID-19 Learning Series.
International Medical Corps emergency team members will set up the field units outside East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28; outside Community Hospital of Huntington Park at 9:00 a.m., and Coast Plaza Hospital at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29; and outside Memorial Hospital of Gardena at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 30. Experts from International Medical Corps and Pipeline Health will be available to answer questions from the media about the deployments, and about the steps being taken by the organizations to meet the challenges posed by COVID-19.
ABOUT THIS RESPONSE
AbbVie, a partner of International Medical Corps since the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, is helping meet the need for expanded healthcare capacity for hospitals on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is funding the procurement of the tents, equipment, supplies and all operating expenses for deployments at 20 US hospitals through the end of 2020, as part of an overall $35 million commitment to support COVID-19 relief efforts around the world.
FedEx, as part of its long-time collaboration with International Medical Corps, is providing extensive logistical support, delivering the shelters and supplies as part of its FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative. The company uses its global network and logistics expertise to help organizations with mission-critical needs in times of disaster and for special shipments.
International Medical Corps is working globally with international health bodies, local and national governments, ministries of health, local health facilities and community-based organizations to provide expertise, equipment, training, and triage and treatment services in response to the pandemic. Its response prioritizes areas where the disease has already spread or where healthcare systems—and, thus, populations—are particularly vulnerable.
Members of the media with questions for International Medical Corps about this deployment should contact Ricki Weisberg at rweisberg@internationalmedicalcorps.org or 610-517-6668.
Those with questions for Pipeline Health should contact Miguel Garcia Castillo at miguel@pipelinehealth.us.
For more information about International Medical Corps’ global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit: https://internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/covid19.
For more information about Avanti Hospitals, please visit: https://avantihospitals.com; for more information about Pipeline Health, please visit https://www.pipelinehealth.us.
For questions about the emergency medical field units or any other aspects of International Medical Corps’ nationwide response, please write to media@internationalmedicalcorps.org.