Hospitals that are a part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence; Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health, both headquartered in Portland, will work under a joint command, focusing on maximizing capacity for the expected influx of COVID-19 patients.
“Metro hospitals will act as one, large unified hospital system for the treatment of COVID-19,” the governor said.
The state also plans to add beds to non-hospital settings, as the state will need about 1,000 more beds than the 6,601 staffed hospital beds it has, Renee Edwards, MD, CMO of Oregon Health & Science University told reporters at the briefing.
Like hospitals across the country, Oregon hospitals are also delaying elective surgeries.
The state also has taken several social-distancing measures, including banning gatherings of more than 25 people and restricting restaurants and bars to offering delivery or carryout food only.
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