El Paso patients to be airlifted to other Texas healthcare facilities
EL PASO, Texas (CBS4) — Hospitals throughout El Paso, including University Medical Center of El Paso, are working together with the BorderRAC (Border Regional Advisory Council) to take proactive steps to provide a continuum of care for El Paso patients in need of ICU care, officials with UMC said.
Despite the local health care providers working to expand capacity, the BorderRAC in collaboration with the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, is coordinating to have the option of airlifting patients requiring critical care to other facilities within Texas.
This will be a strictly voluntary decision by the patients and arrangements will be made to bring all patients home to El Paso.
This option is meant to be used on a limited basis, if needed, and in collaboration with families.
Up to 20 patients per 24-hour period may be air lifted.
Additionally, the state is sending 3-4 medical mobile units (fully functional tents with staff/equipment), and BorderRAC is working to get those staged.
UMC will be getting one, possibly two, of those tents.
They will be staged on the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso parking lot, located directly behind UMC’s main campus.
Each unit/tent can accommodate approximately between 17-20 patients and will help decompress the emergency department. Over the last several weeks, local hospitals have increased their bed capacity.
As those beds are made available, they are filled. Hospitals are reaching a point where they have expanded, within their existing brick and mortar, as much as they can, UMC officials said.
UMC has added over 80 beds thus far and UMC is working on using off-site facilities to further increase capacity.
UMC is preparing to utilize a floor at El Paso Children’s Hospital for non-COVID-19 patients (26 beds) along with UMC’s Surgical Center West non-COVID-19 patients (13 beds).
Hospitalizations are increasing very quickly, according to UMC. There are 778 hospitalized in the community (194 at UMC). Per BorderRAC, UMC has doubled their hospitalizations over a four-day period, officials said.
The state has provided staffing support. UMC has received 71 nurses, 15 respiratory therapist, three doctors (one intensivists and two hospitalists) and six nurse practitioners.
UMC is submitting a request for another 100 nurses through BorderRAC as they expand into newly designated space as well as the UMC Surgical Center West on North Mesa in west El Paso.
A request was made by the City to the federal government (DOD/FEMA) to utilize William Beaumont Army Medical Center’s (WBAMC) beds for civilian use.
UMC said they learned that the request was denied late this week.
WBAMC has been very engaged and willing to help, however a decision of that magnitude must be made at a higher level, said UMC officials.
CBS4 is trying to get clarification on that issue.
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