3 Triangle hospitals activate Emergency Command Centers to combat coronavirus

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Wednesday, March 11, 2020
3 Triangle hospitals activate Emergency Command Centers to combat coronavirus
3 Triangle hospitals activate Emergency Command Centers to combat coronavirus

All three major Triangle hospitals have activated their Emergency Operations Center to help combat coronavirus.

Teams are working at WakeMed Healthcare System, Duke University Hospital, and UNC Healthcare System.

There are people solely dedicated at the WakeMed Healthcare System on a response plan. Part of that includes making the hospital has the equipment it needs and supplies.

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"Definitely, at this point in time we're in a response mode," said WakeMed Preparedness Executive Director Barb Bisset. "We're having daily briefings with multiple groups."

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Most patients should be able to stay home in isolation, but some might need to be admitted for care.

WakeMed said it has 941 licensed beds, spread out over its facilities, to treat those who are really sick.

The majority of the beds, 567, are located at the Main Campus in Raleigh.

Duke University Hospital has 979 in-patient beds.

The UNC Health Care System says its Coronavirus Command Center is up and running and leaders are meeting multiple times.

ABC11 was told all the area hospital are keeping up communications with each other.

Bisset said of the virus, "We had the heads-up. We knew it was coming. We quite honestly had already been in emergency operations at times related to the flu, so this is just a different pathogen. It' something different. It's more challenging because it's something that's moving quickly."