Prisma Health developing comprehensive COVID-19 surge plan for Midlands

Columbia, SC—Prisma Health is developing a surge plan for its hospitals to react to the anticipated COVID-19 peak of patients in the Midlands. To best care for our patients, we are grouping together COVID-19 patients and, in the Midlands, moving expectant mothers, newborns and oncology patients between Prisma Health inpatient facilities.

The surge plan uses all of the Prisma Health–Midlands hospitals and their 1,000 beds to help address increased volumes. To help ease the transitions for Prisma Health patients who will need to move between care facilities, caregivers from their current hospital units will travel with them to their new locations. The current plan includes:

• Designating Prisma Health Baptist Hospital and Prisma Health Richland Hospital to share the responsibility of caring for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.
  • Lower acuity patients will be cared for at Prisma Health Baptist Hospital.
  • Patients who have critical needs will be cared for at Prisma Health Richland Hospital.
• Designating Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital as the Midlands facility for low-risk labor & delivery patients and oncology patients.
  • High-risk labor and delivery patients will continue to deliver at Prisma Health Richland Hospital given the availability of specialty services at this facility.
  • Mothers who are inpatients and have already delivered prior to the April 11 start date will not be moved. They will be discharged home.
  • Expectant mothers, including low-risk, who are planning to deliver at Prisma Health Richland Hospital still will do so.
  • Oncology patients will be relocated to Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital starting April 7. 
• Expanding specific nursing units to cohort, or group, as many suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients in as few locations as. This helps limit exposure of team members and other patients in the hospital to the coronavirus.

“We are providing information about our COVID-19 response to the community to reassure everyone that we are here for you,” said Steve Shelton, MD, Incident Commander of Prisma Health–Midlands. “Our team is working tirelessly to care for this community – our current patients and those who we will care for with the anticipated COVID-19 patient increase. Our comprehensive plan is designed to provide the best care for patients while maintaining the safety of our team members.”

Shelton added, “We understand that this information includes changes for some of our patients. Every action we are taking is in the best interests of our patients, our team members and the health of our community, and we apologize for any inconveniences this may cause you.”

For more information about COVID-19 and Prisma Health’s continued response, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus.