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Alternative Care Sites During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Policy Implications for Pandemic Surge Planning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2021

Sue Anne Bell Open the ORCID record for Sue Anne Bell [Opens in a new window] ,
Lydia Krienke  and
Kathryn Quanstrom
Sue Anne Bell*
Affiliation:
University of Michigan School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Lydia Krienke
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Kathryn Quanstrom
Affiliation:
University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
*
Corresponding Author: Sue Anne Bell, Email: sabell@umich.edu.
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Abstract

Alternative care sites (ACS) across the United States were widely underutilized during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, while the volume and severity of COVID-19 cases overwhelmed health systems across the United States. The challenges presented by the pandemic have shown the need to design surge capacity principles with consideration for demand that strains multiple response capabilities. We reviewed current policy and previous literature from past ACS as well as highlighted challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, to make recommendations that can inform future surge capacity planning. Our recommendations include: (1) Preparedness actions need to be continuous and flexible; (2) staffing needs must be met as they arise with solutions that are specific to the pandemic; 3) health equity must be a focus of ACS establishment and planning; and (4) ACS should be designed to function without compromising safe and effective care. A critical opportunity exists to identify improvements for future use of ACS in pandemics.

Keywords

alternative care sitepandemicpolicypreparedness
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2022 , pp. 2673 - 2675
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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