重口味SM

U of T's Faculty of Nursing answers hospitals' call for patient beds amid COVID-19 pandemic

Photo of beds at the Faculty of Nursing
U of T's Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is loaning up to 14 patient beds to local hospitals 鈥 part of a larger, campus-wide initiative 鈥 as they rush to prepare for an influx of COVID-19 patients (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The 重口味SM鈥檚 Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing is loaning 14 patient beds to local hospitals 鈥 one of the many ways U of T is working with its partner hospitals to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. 

When Women鈥檚 College Hospital and Baycrest Centre issued a call for hospital beds last week to prepare for a possible influx of coronavirus patients, there was never any question that the Faculty of Nursing would step up, according to Arleen Morrin, the faculty鈥檚 chief administrative officer.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in the nursing profession and so we are in the practice of helping others,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was really a no-brainer.鈥 

Seven beds were set aside for each hospital. Women鈥檚 College Hospital said the six medical-surgical beds and one critical care bed would help increase capacity in case of a spike in the number of inpatients. 

鈥淭he significance of this gesture cannot be overstated,鈥 said Greg Chow, vice-president, finance, partnerships and chief financial officer at Women鈥檚 College Hospital and a graduate of the Rotman School of Management. 

The global pandemic has created high demand for hospital beds and made it 鈥渆xtremely difficult鈥 to obtain more, he added. 

鈥淒emand for inpatient beds has risen to such high levels so rapidly, making it exceptionally challenging for the supply chain to meet that demand. Thanks to U of T, our hospital is better prepared to assist the downtown system with operationalizing more inpatient capacity in an immediate way should the system require it.鈥 

The donated beds are typically used in , a roughly 370-square metre state-of-the-art teaching space equipped with a mock in-patient ward, critical care unit, isolation room, operating room and other facilities meant to recreate a hospital setting and provide students with hands-on learning opportunities. The beds are being sent out on loan while U of T students pursue their studies remotely while physical distancing guidelines are in place to combat COVID-19. 

The Faculty of Nursing, along with other faculties and divisions across U of T鈥檚 three campuses, has also donated stockpiles of masks, gloves, gowns and hand sanitizer to area hospitals. 

Overall, as of Monday morning, U of T has collected 312,000 gloves of various types, 9,800 masks and about 8,300 N95 respirators for the Toronto Academic Health Science Network.

 

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