Courtesy of MassGovernor on YouTube
BOURNE – The field hospital being set up at Joint Base Cape Cod is expected to be operational by Monday, April 20.
Governor Charlie Baker visited the base Tuesday to speak about the progress of the 94 bed facility that will be used to treat coronavirus patients.
He thanked the Massachusetts National Guard and Cape Cod Healthcare, the “lead dog” at the site, for mobilizing efforts to get the site up within the span of about a week.
The site is similar to the field hospitals established in Boston and Worcester.
Baker explained that as the peak of the pandemic approaches, the establishment of the site at Joint Base Cape Cod is one way to prepare for the “worse case scenario.”
“We certainly hope we don’t have to use these beds, or certainly not all of them, but we wanted to have a plan to make sure that we could if we needed to.” Baker said.
President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare Michael Lauf said that the site has portable X-ray equipment, electronic record access, and other valuable resources.
The site will be used to treat those who are not in critical condition, but also not well enough to be sent home.
“We will make sure that we understand the patients’ needs,” Lauf said.
“We will make sure that our physicians, our nurses, our aides, our techs, our pharmacists, our PTs are all here to ensure that the best possible care can be delivered.”
Lauf said that there is no clear time frame as to when the site will be taken down.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
