Western Regional Health Authority Taking Steps to Provide More COVID-19 Hospital Beds

The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is taking steps to provide additional beds for the increasing number of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the region requiring hospitalisation.

Regional Director, St. Andrade Sinclair, told JIS News that patient occupancy is at full capacity at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St. James, Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland, and Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny.

He indicated, however, that while the situation at the Savanna-la-Mar hospital has reached “crisis proportion”, the facility has been positioned to handle the strain being experienced.

“So, what we have to be doing [is] using tents for some of the [patient] spillovers. We [also] have the field hospital in Falmouth, which is a 36-bed [facility],” he informed.

The Regional Director said the requisite adjustments will be undertaken at the facility to accommodate more patients, if necessary.

Regarding the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital, which he described as “overburdened”, Mr. Sinclair indicated that “we have looked at an area that we are currently retrofitting and expanding, that will house about 15 to 20 persons.” This, he advised, is expected to be ready within another week.

Additionally, Mr. Sinclair said a 30-bed field hospital will be established at the institution within the next two weeks, to further boost the facility’s capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.

Over in Hanover, the Regional Director says a tent with the capacity to accommodate up to 15 COVID-19 patients, will be erected at the Noel Holmes Hospital within a week.

“We have located an area for their tent, and we are now in dialogue with the supplier. They have created a tent for the area [that] I have already approved. The CEO confirmed that they are working towards… [getting] all [of] that done [over] the next five to seven days,” Mr. Sinclair informed.

He disclosed that the WRHA has made arrangements with the management of the El Greco Hotel in Montego Bay to accommodate the overflow of COVID-19 patients at the Cornwall Regional Hospital. As of Friday (August 20), 15 patients were being housed at the hotel.

Mr. Sinclair further indicated that the management of the Seventh Day Adventist Church property adjacent to the hospital, has provided an auditorium that can accommodate another 35 to 40 persons.

Up to August 20, some 564 individuals contracting COVID-19 were in hospitals islandwide.

Meanwhile, Mr. Sinclair has commended health care workers on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 for their dedication and personal sacrifices, amidst increased medical risk.

“We are still motivated, and the staff are trying their best. I must commend the staff for the hard work that they have been doing… and their dedication to what’s been taking place, because these are not normal times,” he said.