ZEELAND, Mich. — COVID-19 triage tents at Spectrum Health hospitals are being removed due to a "lack of current need for increased testing space."
“We do still anticipate a surge, although hopefully with ongoing social distancing, this will be more manageable,” said Linda Schaltz, chief nursing officer at Zeeland Community Hospital. "If volumes increase dramatically, we can redeploy the tents in a matter of hours."
Schaltz attributes a slowing pace in testing to the effective social distancing being practiced in West Michigan. Spectrum hospitals started taking down testing tents on Friday, April 17, and are now testing patients in-house while offering free virtual COVID-19 screening to anyone with symptoms who may be concerned they have the virus.
“With the current volume of patients arriving at our regional hospitals with concerns for COVID-19, we have workflows and protections in place that allow for effective assessment, testing and treatment while keeping other patients and team members safe,” said Schaltz. “This can be managed within the existing structures of our hospitals.”
Spectrum Health hospitals with tents to be removed include the following:
- Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital
- Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial
- Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital
- Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital
- Spectrum Health Pennock
- Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital
- Spectrum Health United Hospital
- Spectrum Health Zeeland Hospital
COVID-19 triage tents will remain open in Grand Rapids at Butterworth, Blodgett, and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, as well as at the drive-up specimen collection site located at 1300 Michigan St. NE.
