Coronavirus Latest: Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital To Open Monday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine announced Sunday the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital will open Monday.
The BCCFH is a 250-bed field medical station set up as a state-licensed hospital operated jointly by Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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The BCCFH will initially take a limited number of recovering COVID-positive patients from select area hospitals. It will then expand the capacity for additional patients from other hospitals.
It will treat patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and need direct medical attention, but who are recovering from their infection.
"Opening this field hospital is a major victory in the fight against COVID-19 and one of our administration's top priorities since day one of this crisis. I want to thank all the frontline health care workers and our partners at the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine for making this pivotal health care facility a reality for Baltimore City and area hospitals. We are in this together and will get through this together." Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement.
Patients from predominantly Baltimore City hospitals will be transported to the field hospital through either emergency department or inter-facility referrals.
All patients who will be admitted to the BCCFH are anticipated to be received as a transfer from Baltimore City hospitals and not as direct admissions.
The field hospital is not a community testing clinic and cannot be accessed by general referrals from primary care physicians.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.