UAB To Open New Coronavirus Facility For Elderly Patients
The University of Alabama at Birmingham announced Wednesday it is creating a specialized skilled nursing facility for some COVID-19 patients in Jefferson County.
The 25 bed unit will be in a wing of the Aspire Physical Recovery Center in Hoover, off Interstate 65 and Highway 31. It will care for elderly patients who have tested positive for the virus.
“Either they started in the hospital and are now ready to transition to receive rehabilitation or, perhaps, their COVID-19 symptoms never required hospital-level care, but they do require a place where they can be isolated and receive care on this designated unit,” said Dr. Kellie Flood, an associate professor with UAB’s Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care.
The goal of the new facility is to free up hospital beds by moving non-critical elderly patients to the facility. They also hope to alleviate pressure on nursing homes, which have seen an influx of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in late March.
“A lot of the hospital systems and skilled nursing facilities have all been in a very reactive mode,” said Nick Beckham, with NHS Management, which operates Aspire. “This unit allows us to decant our hospital beds so that the most critical are able to be seen in the appropriate places.”
Beckham says the specialized facility is the first in the nation and that they plan to use it as a model for possible expansion in other areas of the state. To be eligible, patients must be referred by one of UAB’s hospital partners. The facility will be funded by a portion of the funds Jefferson County received from the CARES Act, a federal coronavirus relief measure.
Currently, patients older than 65 make up 18% of all coronavirus cases in Alabama. Nearly 2,500 residents in long-term care facilities across the state have tested positive for the virus. But Dr. Rachael Lee, an epidemiologist at UAB, said everyone, regardless of age, is at risk of contracting the virus.
As of Wednesday morning, UAB was caring for 84 COVID-19 patients, the highest number since the pandemic began. This is an increase of 20 patients since last Wednesday. Lee said these patients are in the intensive care and acute care units.
“We continue to hourly monitor our patient flow to make sure that we can accommodate these patients, in addition to accommodating the other patients that we care for on a daily basis,” said Lee.
Lee said Children’s of Alabama has also seen an increase in the number of infants to teenagers hospitalized with COVID-19. In the last month, cases among 5 to 24-year-olds have doubled. She says face masks and social distancing remain the best methods to prevent spreading the disease.
Editor’s Note: UAB holds WBHM’s broadcast license, but our news and business departments operate independently.
Japan executes man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering 9 people
Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the "Twitter killer," was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings in 2017 of the nine victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media.
On the ecstatic ‘Virgin,’ Lorde knows she doesn’t have it all figured out
The pop star's fourth album, her first since 2021's polarizing Solar Power, finds the 28-year-old shedding the stoic self-possession that defined her early career.
The best new albums out June 27
Adrian Quesada throws a psychedelic fiesta. Madison McFerrin sings through the heartache. Durand Jones is thankful for what he's got. KALW's Wonway Posibul joins Stephen Thompson to discuss their favorite releases of the week.
What’s that in the sky? We’re not sure, but the fireball was very bright
The object was likely either a meteor or space junk, with most sightings of the streak of light and fireball coming from Georgia and South Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
Prosecution says Combs used ‘violence, power and fear’ to control victims
On Thursday, the government delivered closing arguments in the sex trafficking trial of Combs. The rapper and executive is accused of coercing multiple women into sexual encounters with male escorts.
‘Mission: Impossible’ composer Lalo Schifrin dies at 93
Argentine pianist and composer Lalo Schifrin, best known for his scores for Mission: Impossible and more than 200 other films and TV shows, including Bullitt, Mannix and Cool Hand Luke, has died.
