Colorado health campuses in Aurora convert portion of hotel into alternative care facility

Federal dollars will allow Aurora health campuses to provide addition care in mass scale emergencies

Federal dollars will allow Aurora health campuses to provide addition care in mass scale emergencies 02:31

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation saw just how quickly our medical infrastructure can become overrun. Hospitals had to create treatment centers in tents and convention centers. So, now, federal money is helping two major health campuses in Colorado provide additional care in their own backyard.

Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, CU Anschutz Medical Campus and UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital campuses in Aurora now have figured out a way to convert existing infrastructure into additional hospital beds.

CBS

In a matter of weeks, the health leaders converted part of the Hyatt hotel across the street from them into an alternative care facility. The area has two fully-functional intensive care units, a nursing station, imaging and laboratory services.

"We're treating this like tower four as an extension to the hospital itself," said Dr. Jason Persoff, UCHealth Physician and associate professor at the CU School of Medicine. "Here, we can do any form of basic radiographs."

This is the second phase of a three-year project that is attempting to figure out how communities can quickly set up advanced medical facilities in existing infrastructure during a medical disaster.

Traditionally, hospitals had to create treatment centers in tents or other temporary structures like during the pandemic

"But they have several disadvantages, which include thermal regulation so they can get too hot or too cold," Persoff said. "They're also patient comfort issues. There's privacy issues. There's the inability to turn off the lights completely. There's issues with infection prevention."

The hotel will be restored to normal in a couple of weeks. There is a plan to test this in other cities across the country.  

Persoff told CBS Colorado the hotel model offers several advantages, including improved infection control, private bathrooms and the ability to isolate patients.

Presoff also says this was a tremendous feat involving hundreds of people, but they now have a guidebook on how hospitals can do this same thing quickly during a medical disaster, which has people across the nation excited.

"One of the coolest things we've been able to produce so far is an actual playbook on this is how you do this in your city," Persoff said.