UW Medicine surge plan: Ensure essential patient care

The number of inpatients with COVID-19 at UW Medicine's four hospitals has increased sharply during the past 14 days. That patient volume today is still less than 80 – in contrast with approximately 125 at the height of the spring surge, says Lisa Brandenburg, president of UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics. 

The health system's Emergency Operations Center, in effect since late February, is continuing its work to ensure the hospitals have enough bed capacity, staff, and personal protective equipment (PPE), she says.  "Right now we have adequate PPE and ventilators for the number of patients we have in our hospitals and our clinics."

Clinics will continue to provide both in-person and telemedicine visits, and "we'll continue to look at the visits based on the needs of the patients and the safety of our healthcare providers," she says.