Christ says St. Luke’s could be ready in days for coronavirus patients if needed
Dec 10, 2020, 4:15 AM
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX—Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said Wednesday that St. Luke’s Medical Center in Phoenix could be ready to accept coronavirus patients in as little as a week if the state needs it.
“It’s always a possibility, but we’d rather have Arizonans in licensed certified health care facilities. So we’ve been working to increase the options around the state for that,” Christ told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.
As of now, the state has no plans to open the shuttered facility but that could change as coronavirus cases continue to rise and hospitals near capacity.
“It is a concern because we want Arizonans to have access to care if they need it because while most people may develop mild symptoms, there are people who have severe consequences from COVID-19,” Christ said.
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Statewide, 38% of all inpatient beds and 44% of all ICU beds were filled with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients on Tuesday, levels last seen in July.
Overall, inpatient beds were 90% filled and ICU beds were 90% filled.
If the state did need to use St. Luke’s, Christ said it would be used for post-acute care, patients who necessarily don’t need to be in a hospital but aren’t ready to return home yet, which would take a load off of the hospitals.
The state currently has access to 300 post-acute care beds with community partners.
Christ said St. Luke’s would open in 50 bed increments, but it has the capacity of approximately 250 beds.
“We’re hoping not to ever have to use St. Luke’s, but it’s ready if we need it,” Christ said.
Over the summer, the state signed contacts with health care staffing companies who would help out with staffing the facility.
St. Luke’s in Phoenix closed in November 2019 due to the lack of patients. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced in April that the state would reopen the hospital to care for any overflowing coronavirus patients if it reached that point.
