Carney Hospital in Dorchester will become the nation’s first "dedicated care center" to treat patients who have the coronavirus. Steward Health Care Northeast said the hospital will create negative pressure patient wards, enhanced patient isolation protocols and the marshaling of specialty equipment needed to treat critical COVID-19 cases -- including an increased supply of ventilators and personal protective equipment. The company, which operates 35 hospitals in nine states, said it has also instituted remote testing facilities, including "drive through" testing centers.Steward has launched three drive-through testing centers in Utah, and other remote testing sites will be activated this week in Massachusetts and Florida. "At our 'drive-through' locations, patients referred by their doctors will be able to remain in their cars to be swabbed and screened for the virus," the company said.Carney will continue scheduled treatments and procedures at the discretion of surgeons and physicians in consultation with their patients, the hospital said."It would be irresponsible to ignore the fact that many other patients will continue to experience heart attacks and strokes, be diagnosed with cancers or blood clots, require joint replacements, endoscopies to diagnose cancer, and cardiac catheterizations, among a host of other life altering maladies," the company said.PHNjcmlwdCBpZD0iaW5mb2dyYW1fMF85MTUyMTg3My03NmRhLTQ0ZmUtOTA0Ny1mMTllZWFlZGFjNmQiIHRpdGxlPSJDb3JvbmF2aXJ1cyBpbiBNYXNzYWNodXNldHRzIiBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZS5pbmZvZ3JhbS5jb20vanMvZGlzdC9lbWJlZC5qcz9yeXoiIHR5cGU9InRleHQvamF2YXNjcmlwdCI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+.

Carney Hospital in Dorchester will become the nation’s first "dedicated care center" to treat patients who have the coronavirus.

Steward Health Care Northeast said the hospital will create negative pressure patient wards, enhanced patient isolation protocols and the marshaling of specialty equipment needed to treat critical COVID-19 cases -- including an increased supply of ventilators and personal protective equipment.


The company, which operates 35 hospitals in nine states, said it has also instituted remote testing facilities, including "drive through" testing centers.

Steward has launched three drive-through testing centers in Utah, and other remote testing sites will be activated this week in Massachusetts and Florida.

"At our 'drive-through' locations, patients referred by their doctors will be able to remain in their cars to be swabbed and screened for the virus," the company said.

Carney will continue scheduled treatments and procedures at the discretion of surgeons and physicians in consultation with their patients, the hospital said.

"It would be irresponsible to ignore the fact that many other patients will continue to experience heart attacks and strokes, be diagnosed with cancers or blood clots, require joint replacements, endoscopies to diagnose cancer, and cardiac catheterizations, among a host of other life altering maladies," the company said.



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