Children’s Wisconsin will soon admit older patients to take the burden off of other hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. The facility made the announcement Monday as the state reports hospitals are nearly 90% full. About 2,278 COVID-19 patients are in hospital beds around Wisconsin.
Children’s Wisconsin says it will take patients that are 26 years old or younger with medical conditions they can treat. This isn’t a COVID-19 overflow type facility, but rather they are taking patients from facilities like Froedtert so they can have a larger capacity of COVID-19 patients.
Children’s Wisconsin Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mike Gutzeit says the plan was devised back in the beginning of the pandemic but never needed.
“With the recent resurgence of COVID 19 in the community, especially the number of hospitalized patients across the state, we have opened that plan up again.” said Gutzeit.
Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Hospital, which is next door to Children’s, says they are grateful to have the option. In a statement, a hospital spokesperson said: “Together, we have developed a workflow for patients who are brought to the F&MCW Froedtert Hospital emergency department to determine if they meet the care criteria for transfer to Children’s Wisconsin. “
Children’s Wisconsin hasn’t admitted any patients yet, but says they expect them in the coming week. Unlike the Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park, which only takes COVID-19 patients, at least initially, Children’s Wisconsin will only be admitting patients with other ailments.