Worcester

Construction Underway to Convert Worcester's DCU Center Into Field Hospital

The medical team in charge of the field hospital at Worcester's DCU Center say they are far more prepared to handle the pandemic this time around

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Construction is underway to once again transform Worcester's DCU Center into a field hospital to relieve stress on the state's health care system amid the pandemic's second surge.

The UMass Memorial Medical Center, which will again operate the field hospital in its second time functioning as an overflow facility for coronavirus patients, has already received hundreds of applications from across the country.

"Right now, we're looking for registered nurses as well as lPNs," Field Hospital Nurse Manager Sharon Rudinski said. "We do have some openings for case managers, PTOT, respiratory therapists, X-ray techs."

The DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, is once again being transformed into a field hospital amid a surge of coronavirus cases.

Governor Charlie Baker announced the state would reopen a field hospital at Worcester's DCU Center last week. Construction is expected to take a couple of weeks to complete, with the goal of getting it up and running by the first week of December.

The medical team in charge is far more prepared this time around in comparison to last spring, according to Dr. John Broach, who is heading the operation for the second time.

“One of the things we really focused on last time is that we really want to make sure that the patients who are there are getting the same level of care that they would in a traditional hospital,” Broach said.

The goal is to provide relief to the main hospitals so they don’t have to halt non-COVID care, according to Broach. The facility will be fitted to hold 240 beds.

Officials are still looking for help from doctors and nurses to staff the field hospital to avoid strain. If you’d like to help at the field hospital, you can go to www.umassmemorialresponds.com.

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