Peconic Bay hospital to add beds for expected coronavirus patients
Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead is working to add 16 to 20 additional emergency room treatment beds in anticipation of a rising number of coronavirus cases. Credit: Peconic Bay Medical Center
Anticipating a rise in coronavirus patients, Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead will add 16 to 20 emergency room treatment beds to ground-floor space next to the ER by Monday, hospital president and CEO Andrew Mitchell said.
The extra space, which was to be used for future ER expansion, will supplement the 25 beds now available in the emergency room, Mitchell said on Saturday. The beds will be housed within the medical center’s new Corey Critical Care Pavilion.
On Saturday, state and county officials said Suffolk had 41 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Southold Town had 14 of those cases.
“Within the last few days and with the cluster in Southold and as it grows, we are certainly seeing a number of positive and potentially positive cases,” said Mitchell, adding that the medical center has been busier than usual. “If we need to treat more patients, we will be able to do so.”
Besides the COVID-19 cases in Southold, Huntington had six, Babylon four, Smithtown three, Islip two and East Hampton one, Bellone said. Countywide, 104 people are under mandatory quarantine.
Officials confirmed two coronavirus-related deaths Saturday: A 64-year-old Rockland County man who had other health problems and an 82-year-old woman who died in a New York City hospital.
Northwell Health officials sent an advisory to hospitals about a month ago to start looking for additional treatment spaces, Mitchell said. The decision to add beds was made Friday, he added.
“We’re being proactive,” Mitchell said. “As part of Northwell’s challenge for all of us to be innovative, this is just another example of innovative thinking to provide additional services to our community."
Peconic Bay Medical Center on Friday revised its policy and now requires all visitors who enter the facility to wear a mask. Also, anyone under 18 will not be allowed to visit patients with exceptions being made for maternal child units.
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