The London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) continues to prepare itself for a potential increase of COVID-19 patients.
Hospital officials announced on Thursday that capacity in the intensive care unit has been expanded from 69 beds to 184 within Victoria and University hospitals. Beds from other areas of the hospitals, such as the surgical care unit, were redeployed to build up the number available in intensive care.
Twenty-four of the beds are on loan from Western's nursing and physical therapy schools.
IT employees worked tirelessly to ensure all of the new beds were entered into the electronic hospital system. Health-care workers use bed numbers when ordering tests, prescriptions, nutrition, and procedures for patients.
Fanshawe College and General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada previously donated ventilators to the hospital network in case of a rise in the number of COVID-19 patients.
"This expansion of critical care requires a redeployment of equipment as well as staff," Dawna VanBoxmeer, director of critical care at LHSC, said in a statement. "Both internal and external partners have come together to help critical care prepare and for that, the critical care program is truly grateful. We’re all in this together for our patients."
Additional IV pumps and poles, beds, computers, glidescopes and ultrasound equipment have also been ordered by hospital officials
Neil Johnson, acting president and CEO of LHSC, took to Twitter to applaud the work hospital staff have done to prepare for a possible surge of patients infected with the virus.
"Great work by our critical care, medical and biomed teams to prepare for #COVID19. We are ready. Also please know that it is safe for anyone to come to @LHSCCanada for care. We are here and ready to serve," Johnson wrote.
Earlier this month, LHSC constructed a 144-bed field hospital inside the Western Fair District Agriplex. That facility would be used to treat non-critical patients if traditional hospitals become strained by COVID-19 patients. It currently remains closed.
As of Thursday, 33 people diagnosed with COVID-19 are in the care of the London Health Sciences Centre. Eleven of those individuals are listed in intensive care -- six at University Hospital and five at Victoria Hospital.
Great work by our critical care, medical and biomed teams to prepare for #COVID19. We are ready. Also please know that it is safe for anyone to come to @LHSCCanada for care. We are here and ready to serve #ldnont and our region. https://t.co/sbAx0RvoFp
— Neil Johnson (@JohnsonNeilG) April 23, 2020