Thanks for posting this. Another part of the article eased my mind because I was concerned about how full the hospital is.
Hospitals Ready, But No Demand Yet
As a system, UF Health has significant bed and ventilator capacity, said Dr. David Berg, chief operating officer and interim chief medical officer for UF Health Central Florida, which operates UF Health The Villages Hospital and UF Health Leesburg Hospital.
“In addition, we have the ability to flex up or down to meet the needs of our patients, making adjustments to staffing levels and other resources required to care for additional critically ill patients,” he said.
If for some reason, UF Health hospitals in The Villages or Leesburg were to reach capacity, “we also have the ability ‘to transfer patients to our Gainesville or Jacksonville facilities,” added Don Henderson, CEO of UF Health Central Florida. “We re-evaluate anticipated needs on a daily basis and plan accordingly.”
Locally, UF Health The Villages Hospital is licensed for 32 intensive care unit beds and maintains sufficient capacity to provide the level of care COVID-19 patients require.
“You should take comfort in the fact that UF Health took over your hospitals,” (Dr. Larry Howard, a New York City-based physician who was involved in establishing the primary care network here) said of last year’s acquisition by the university health care system.
“Now, you have an academic medical center with a virtual ICU, that is such a critically important issue. With UF Health there, if you do have an outbreak, it’s not going to overwhelm the hospital because you have a true academic partner.”
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