SALISBURY, Md. - Hospitals on Delmarva are bracing for an influx of cases of COVID-19, and to prepare, Peninsula Regional Medical Center put up a triage tent outside the emergency room.
Medical professionals are stressing this is not a test center. The triage tent will help them keep sick people away from other patients inside the hospital with compromised immune systems that are more likely to contract COVID-19.
"We have medicines, we have supplies, we have stretchers, we have chairs, we have everything that you need. We have access to our electronic medical records - everything that you need that you can get inside the hospital you can get in the tent," said Angela Brittingham, RN, who is the nursing director of the ER.
The tent is filled with stretchers, chairs, and other necessary medical equipment to treat patients showing symptoms of COVID-19.
"We're going to test them and - not all the test results are going to come back while they are in the tent, but we're going to be evaluating patients and determining who can safely be discharged home," said Dr. Glenn Hornstein.
The tent is for people who are symptomatic, but not in distress. Once they are seen by a provider inside the tent, many will be sent home. But if their condition warrants, they will continue to be monitored at the hospital. Not everyone will be tested for COVID-19.
"Every patient that comes with potential symptoms of COVID-19. There is a very rigid screening process for who gets tested and who doesn't," said Brittingham.
Those guidelines are set by the CDC, and tests are distributed by the state.
While the workspace is unusual, hospital staff say they are well stocked with protective equipment, and are continuing to evaluate their COVID-19 response constantly.
"They are still going to provide the care to those people that need it. We are not going to compromise care. People that need emergent surgeries are still going to have those emergent surgeries. But there is a plan and it is being discussed everyday," said Dr. Hornstein.
Starting tonight, if you do need to go to the ER, you won't just walk in the front door. You will instead stop at the tent out front and check in with a triage nurse. They'll go through your symptoms and decide whether you can head inside or head to the triage tent.
