Subscribe here for daily alerts from WestfordCAT News.
Lowell General leaders join Gov. Baker on tour of recommissioned Alternative Care Site
Lowell General Hospital leaders toured the recommissioned Alternative Care Site at UMass Lowell’s Campus Recreation Center today (Dec. 24) with Gov. Charlie Baker and members of his administration in advance of the site opening to patients next week.
The Alternative Care Site will have a soft opening for Lowell General Hospital patients the week of Dec. 28 and will be available for regional transfers the week of Jan. 4 if adequate staffing is secured. Candidates can apply at www.lowellgeneralresponds.com.
The site will initially have capacity for up to 14 patients, and will scale up capacity based on need and availability of staffing. The maximum capacity would be 77 patients.
“We are grateful to the Baker Administration, Massachusetts Emergency Management Association and UMass Lowell for their partnership in standing up this care site, which may become a valuable community resource in the coming days and weeks,” said Lowell General Hospital President and CEO Jody White.
The Lowell General Hospital Alternative Care Site was first commissioned in late April at the height of the first wave of the pandemic. It was designed to care for recovering COVID patients nearing discharge but was ultimately not needed and taken down a month later. The recommissioned site will also treat recovering patients nearing discharge, but can provide additional services like IV medications.
Lowell General has seen its resources stretched by a significant rise in cases post-Thanksgiving, and as of Thursday had 62 COVID positive patients in its care. Hospital officials are bracing for a new wave of hospitalizations stemming from the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
“It is our sincere hope that this site won’t be needed, but we are preparing for every scenario,” White said. “We ask everyone in the Merrimack Valley community and across the state to stand with our healthcare workers and continue measures to stop the spread of this virus.”
About Lowell General Hospital
Lowell General Hospital is a not-for-profit, community hospital serving the Greater Lowell area and surrounding communities. With two primary campuses located in Lowell, Massachusetts, the hospital offers the latest state-of-the-art technology and a full range of medical and surgical services for patients, from newborns to seniors. For more information about Lowell General Hospital and its services, visit lowellgeneral.org, follow on Twitter @LGHWELL and Like Lowell General Hospital on Facebook.
