Adventist HealthCare Plans to Add More Beds to Provide Care to Patients with COVID-19

By: Adventist HealthCare

As the United States government now recognizes the Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region as an emerging COVID-19 hotspot, Adventist HealthCare continues to prepare to be part of the global response.

Adventist HealthCare has been working closely with the state of Maryland in the United States to coordinate additional capacity to care for COVID-19 patients. Adventist HealthCare is adding 178 beds across the organization’s three acute-care hospitals. Additionally, 200 temporary beds will be added at the former Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, for patients recovering from COVID-19, in partnership with the state.

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, has prepared a second Intensive Care Unit and has plans to expand into areas such as its pre-operative spaces if additional beds are needed. The hospital suspended elective surgeries in response to COVID-19, freeing up such spaces for any surge in patients.

The newest hospital to join Adventist HealthCare, Fort Washington Medical Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is serving areas in the state that are among those most deeply impacted by COVID-19. To handle increased hospitalizations, Fort Washington has opened Maryland’s first medical-surgical field hospital to provide care for COVID-19 patients. The hospital will add additional temporary care units over the coming weeks.

Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, has increased its bed capacity by adding ICU and medical-surgical beds throughout the 8-month-old facility. The hospital also will convert 63 beds currently used for Rehabilitation patients in Takoma Park if it needs more space for a surge in patients.

The healthcare system is also lending its support by way of infrastructure, staffing and supplies to Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. In February, Adventist HealthCare and Howard University, which operates Howard University Hospital, entered into a three-year management services agreement. Adventist HealthCare has since added a talented senior leadership team to help strengthen the hospital’s presence in the region.

“COVID-19 is a historic moment in Adventist HealthCare’s 113 years. We are grateful for the chance in this time of great need to extend God’s care to the people of Maryland and Washington, D.C.,” said Terry Forde, president and CEO of Adventist HealthCare. “The growth of our system last year has provided an opportunity to help even more people in our area who need care so urgently right now.”

Based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Adventist HealthCare is one of the longest-serving health systems in the Washington, D.C., region, and one of the largest employers in Maryland. It includes Shady Grove Medical Center, White Oak Medical Center, Fort Washington Medical Center, Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation, Home Care Services, Adventist Medical Group, Imaging and Urgent Care.