November 13, 2020
DCU Center field hospital to reopen for coronavirus surge
Photo | Grant Welker
The DCU Center in Worcester was used as a coronavirus field hospital in the spring, and now will be again this fall and winter.
By Grant Welker
Worcester's DCU Center will once again be used as a field hospital to help handle an expected surge of coronavirus cases this fall and winter.
The hospital is expected to open around Dec. 6, UMass Memorial Health Care President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson said in a staff memo Friday. Gov. Charlie Baker said the DCU Center will have roughly 240 beds, in a press conference in which he also pleaded with residents to stay safe and defended those who've been careful with the virus at school or work.
Other field hospital locations are being scouted across the state, Baker said. Hospitals are also able to create about 400 additional beds on their campuses by moving beds around within care units, he said.
The DCU Center's convention center space was converted into a field hospital with a few hundred beds in early April to help local hospitals handle cases. The field hospital didn't come close to capacity, but housed less-severe patients as well as homeless people who were at greater risk of catching the virus. UMass Memorial Health Care was the main entity managing the field hospital with state officials.
Dickson joined Baker and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Director Samantha Phillips in Boston for Baker's updates on the state's response to the rapidly rising case numbers.
"The numbers have clearly been trending in the wrong direction since the end of the summer," Baker said.
Dickson said UMass Memorial is about full of beds for patients already, and beginning to cancel some elective procedures and turn away referrals from smaller hospitals that otherwise rely on the hospital for severe cases.
Worcester was chosen for the first field hospital because it has the most severe shortage of beds, Baker said. The state is looking to add field hospitals in phases, he said.
"Worcester has what I would describe as the biggest issue at the moment," he said.
[Related: Fitchburg State closing campus as coronavirus cases mount]
The announcement on Friday came a day after the state reached a bleak milestone: 10,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths.
Cases have spiraled upward this month, with cases roughly doubling in just one week statewide, in Worcester County and in the city of Worcester.
Worcester County had 1,816 new cases in the past week, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the second-highest weekly number recorded during the pandemic so far.
The state has 174,953 total cases through Thursday, including 14,255 in the past week.
The United States also easily set a new daily case high on Thursday, with 163,402, according to The New York Times.
Baker defended the vigilance of most Massachusetts residents, who he said have been careful when at school or work.
"Kids for the most part did the right things," he said of colleges in particular.
"But everybody has to play," he said, turning his attention to some cases, including youth hockey games, where parents in particular let down their guard.
"The silent spread of the virus just roared through that community," Baker said.
[Related: UMass Memorial banning visitors to University Campus]
Dickson also commended residents, but said not enough has been done most broadly to keep the virus from spreading.
"We have most people doing the right thing most of the time," he said. "But that's not enough."
Dickson said in his memo Friday that UMass Memorial is looking for a range of medical professionals to help staff the center in addition to their regular work hours, including respiratory therapists, social workers, registered nurses, pharmacists and medical interpreters.
"I’m confident that we will get through this second surge together, just as we did in the spring," Dickson said in the letter. "Now we have the knowledge and past experience to guide us for smoother operations and decision-making. The governor and the citizens of the commonwealth are counting on us, and I know you won’t let them down."
The City of Worcester is hosting free coronavirus testing drives, including at the following times and locations:
- Monday, Nov. 16, 12-2 p.m., at Worcester State University, 486 Chandler St.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Mercantile Center, 201 Commercial St.
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Mercantile Center, 201 Commercial St.
No appointments are necessary, and a free mask is provided with each test. Flu shots are also available with insurance. All attendees are reminded to wear a mask or face covering and to maintain social distancing.
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