ANN ARBOR – For the first time in its 67-year history, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System is treating non-veteran patient transfers.
The VA answered the call from strained hospitals in the area on Sunday and admitted several non-veteran COVID-19 patients amid the global pandemic. It opened 35 beds -- 25 acute care and 10 intensive care -- to the civilian patients, whose conditions are critical and non-critical.
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The move, in coordination with Detroit’s John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, is part of the VA’s “Fourth Mission” -- to support critical needs to local non-veterans in times of crisis and to improve preparedness during national emergencies.
“We’re well-positioned to deliver humanitarian assistance to our community,” Ann Arbor Medical Center Director, Dr. Ginny Creasman, said in a statement. “Our colleagues at other health care systems are in desperate need of relief and we’re able to help, while still preserving a vast majority of our inpatient beds for our veterans.”
According to a news release, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System has been preparing for COVID-19 for months by converting inpatient and intensive care units and reallocating personnel and resources in order to accept patients with the virus.
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