(WXYZ) — Four metro Detroit health providers will come together to help staff the temporary hospital at TCF Center in Detroit, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday.
The TCF Regional Care Center was declared able to accept its first 25 patients on Friday. Once patients arrive, the facility will be staffed by Henry Ford Health System, McLaren Health Care, Beaumont Health and Detroit Medical Center.
“Fighting this virus is going to take all of us working together as Michiganders, and we are proud to be partnering with these Michigan health care systems to help save lives and ensure those with the most serious cases of COVID-19 get the care they need,” Whitmer said. “Our hospitals and medical professionals are serving on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19, and they are proving that once again by stepping up to support the TCF Regional Care Center.”
New interior photos of the completed TCF Regional Care Facility for #COVID19 patients, welcoming its first 25 patients today @wxyzdetroit @ABC @femaregion5 @BeaumontHealth @McLarenHealth @DMC_Heals pic.twitter.com/fWwSZTFbyP
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) April 10, 2020
Key personnel at TCF Regional Care Center were also announced Thursday.
- Lynn Torossian will lead overall management of TCF Regional Care Center. Torossian most recently served as President and CEO of CEO of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.
- Daniel Medrano will lead day-to-day operations at the TCF Regional Care Center. Medrano is currently serving as Corporate Vice President of Facilities Management of McLaren Health Care.
- Jenny Atas will lead medical services at TCF Regional Care Center. Dr. Atas is the regional care coordinator for Region 2 South Trauma Network (RTN), serving Monroe, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, including the city of Detroit. Region 2 South is served by 35 hospitals, 92 EMS agencies, four EMS Medical Control Authorities and four Health Departments.
Michigan National Guard members have been helping FEMA with logistics support to establish an alternative care facility that will have up to 1,000 beds and take patients from other southeast Michigan hospitals at least 48 hours after they were admitted. Patients from ambulances or walk-ups will not be accepted.
“As a health system caring for a large majority of our region’s COVID-19 patients, we are uniquely positioned to provide the expertise needed to optimize this field hospital,” said Wright Lassiter, III, President and CEO, Henry Ford Health System. “We are confident that with the help of our partners, this facility will help ease the collective burden we share as we continue to fight this pandemic.”
Daniel Medrano will continue at TCF Regional Care Center after serving as part of the team to get the alternative care facility operational over the past week. Additional staff from McLaren Health Care will also support the efforts on site.
Patients will be transferred to TCF from area hospitals -- the center will not take patients via ambulance or those who walk-in. Staffing will be mostly provided by @fema via a public health strike team, designed to monitor outbreaks during an emergency @wxyzdetroit
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) April 10, 2020
“We value the opportunity to join with our colleague health systems here in southeast Michigan to bring this 1,000-bed field hospital on line and help relieve the volume pressures associated with caring for those affected by the coronavirus,” said Greg Lane, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer for McLaren. “Dan Medrano, a field-tested Marine who oversees all capital construction projects for McLaren, and his team will bring a no-nonsense approach to collaboration and execution of this mammoth undertaking.”
Beaumont Health will work to support certain procurement efforts vital to TCF Regional Care Center operations, subject to market availability, and Detroit Medical Center is supplying critical equipment on site at the alternate care facility
“We are all trying to be helpful in a stressful situation that is putting a strain on the entire health care system throughout the country. We hope to have an agreement with TCF on the specifics soon that will enable us to operationalize this,” Beaumont Health CEO John Fox said.
“The Detroit Medical Center recognizes the importance of this healthcare coalition and what it will mean in the fight against COVID-19 in this region,” said Audrey Gregory, Ph.D., R.N. Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Medical Center. “All health systems in our community are facing serious capacity issues with the growing number of COVID-19 patients. The resources at the TCF Regional Care Center will benefit all of us and help to enhance the care we provide to those in the communities we serve.”
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