Health

Ohio Hospitals Consider 'Creative' Options as COVID Cases Climb

The Statehouse News Bureau | By Karen Kasler

Published November 16, 2020 at 9:25 PM EST

hospital room — Children's Hospitals throughout the state are more likely to be used for young adults with COVID-19, rather than alternate sites hospitals designated early on for patients in the pandemic, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

Monday was the third day in a row for record numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Ohio. That has health care facilities considering their options.

The numbers of COVID patients in Ohio hospitals are more than double what they were a month ago, and hospitalizations have set a record nearly every day in that time period.

A month ago, there were 1,041 COVID-19 patients in Ohio hospitals. Today, there are 3,175 - a more than 200% increase. The state set a record for COVID hospitalizations nearly every day in the last 30 days.— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) November 15, 2020

Six sites were identified in the early days of the pandemic as possible alternative or surge health care sites, including five convention centers and the Case Western Reserve University Health Education Campus.

Those could still be used, but Mike Abrams with the Ohio Hospital Association said children’s hospitals are a more likely avenue for young adults with COVID.

“Before we set up the convention center, we may get a lot more creative about the nature of an age of the patients that are being cared for at the very high quality children's hospitals throughout our state," Abrams said in an interview for "The State of Ohio" this weekend.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus will start admitting patients under 26 sent to them by other hospitals.

This is happening as low staffing levels at hospitals statewide are raising concerns, especially at the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals systems in northeast Ohio.