Col. DeWayne Lazenby, medical staff chief for the 88th Medical Group, said the plan is in its final stages of being worked out. It would create a process where stable patients in the ER at MIami Valley Hospital and the Dayton VA who are covered by TRICARE could be transferred and hospitalized at Wright-Patt as long as the patients consent.
Lazenby said that while there are reports of places like El Paso where the hospitals are overrun, at the base they have the ability to care for more hospital patients.
“There’s an increase in the community but we at Wright-Patterson Medical Center have the capacity to take care of more folks,” Lazenby said.
Lazenby said there are 36,000 people enrolled for their care at the base medical center, who call the center their medical home and likely would come to the base in the first place for their hospital care. But there’s a total eligible population of 62,000 people in the area, including other beneficiaries such as retirees or dependent retirees. and these agreements would create a plan for those eligible patients to be transferred if needed.
The 57-bed hospital on the base has inpatient, outpatient, emergency and ICU services. Lazenby said also, if TRICARE beneficiaries need to get in for a surgery or specialist, the medical center has the capacity and those providers are taking new patients.
“We really appreciate the opportunity to be a partner during this global pandemic. We want to take care of as many people as we can,” Lazenby said.
Miami Valley Hospital said in a statement that “Like every hospital in the area, we are experiencing a high volume of patients, however, beneficiaries have always been able to request transfers of care back to WPAFB when they desire and when the appropriate care is available. Everyone is trying to maximize capabilities and this affords us the opportunity to optimize community resources offered through WP.”
The Dayton VA stated that during the pandemic, Dayton VA Medical Center employees care for more than 400 veterans seeking care related to COVID, while adhering to safety practices that have limited its current COVID employee infection rate to less than 1%.
“The facility has capacity to care for additional patients and has not sent any patients to Wright-Patt Medical Center for care during the pandemic,” the Dayton VA stated.
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