Due to the recent COVID-19 surge in Roseburg, Oregon, there was a sharp rise in Emergency Department utilization, leading to exorbitant patient wait times and substantial strain of hospital resources. In response, a joint collaborative effort between Mercy Medical Center’s leadership, Umqua Health Alliance, local primary care providers, and Healthful’s patient care navigators staffed a Mobile Covid Unit to reduce the burden on the emergency department.
This afforded the ability to reserve valuable hospital resources for the sickest patients by triaging and treating low-acuity, stabilized COVID patients in an external mobile unit. There, patients were evaluated and treated by primary care physicians and advanced care providers effectively and then offered real-time navigation support for their discharge to overcome barriers to outpatient follow-up such as medical transport, medication and food delivery and even low-cost or free hotel rooms to use during isolation, if needed.
Rebecca Dennis, Regional Lead, Navigation
