Mercy Hospital Springfield (Mo.) opened an outdoor unit to help treat COVID-19 and flu patients, reports The Springfield News-Leader.
The trailer outside the emergency room is intended to separate patients with respiratory issues from other patients and decrease wait time, Mercy officials said Oct. 28. Trailers had been used when the pandemic began to assess patients for COVID-19 symptoms, according to Craig McCoy, president of Mercy Springfield Communities.
The outdoor unit includes space for 15 patient care areas.
As of Oct. 28, Mercy had 69 COVID-19 patients, falling below 70 admissions for the first time in more than two weeks, according to a tweet from Chief Administrative Officer Erik Frederick.