Aurora-based UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are partnering with the Department of Defense to convert a local hotel into a hospital.
The partnership is part of a multi-year research initiative to explore ways to convert existing infrastructure into hospital-level care settings for national health emergencies, according to a news release shared with Becker’s.
Four things to know, per the release:
1. The project, funded by a $12.5 million grant from the Department of Defense, involves multiple phases.
2. Colorado-based research team members initially focused on developing a playbook to quickly set up temporary hospital space in a hotel, the release said.
3. A working prototype inside the Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center near the CU Anschutz Medical Campus has been completed, featuring two ICUs. The prototype will be in place for two weeks.
4. The final phase of the project will involve testing the hotel model in other cities. The release said that it also will focus on finalizing the playbook, and “developing algorithmic tools to help hospital decision-makers select appropriate surge solutions based on needs and available resources.”
