Bernd Quoß, from the Waldfriede Hospital Supervisory Board in Berlin-Zehlendorf, announced that two Corona patients were in the intensive care unit. He continued to report on the Corona rescue centre facility on site.
Pandemic crisis team meets challenges
The hospital management has set up a pandemic crisis team under Quoss' direction. They meet with head physician Dr. Carsten Büning to "discuss and adjust the situation hourly ”. According to the APD, two Corona patients are reported since last Wednesday (March 18th) in the intensive care unit. Everyday, up to 60 surgeries (OPS) have to be cancelled. Outpatient treatments will be definitely reduced. A complete station is already closed and another will be prepared and turned into an isolation station.
Also some resident patients would have to be discharged, the reason being that the current bed occupancy availability is only at 40% . Nurses and doctors would have to be released and recruited from other areas to come here and train the reserve personnel to become qualified for the intensive care unit and emercency centre. “That is why the challenge is so great”, says the hospital manager, “on some days 30 nurses are reported sick”.
As part of these extraordinary measures, the meeting room is converted to a Corona rescue centre. Previously it was used for multiples services, from hospital staff to meetings, training and company meetings and even used by a local church community over the weekend. Another obstacle is that there is only 1 operating room and it's used around the clock. Workinghours are at a maximum for all employees therefore a hospital kindergarten is organized from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. so that staff can come to work. In addition, 5 expensive ventilation rooms must be added. Quoss thinks one of the biggest concerns is the lack of material (e.g. masks) the lengthy time in the laboratories, which is up to 5 days. He expects a critical phase the week after next.
Through it all, the hospital has the situation “well under control”, because of the German healthcare system and because routines and organization processes generally seem better in Germany than in other countries.
Health Network Waldfriede Hospital
Waldfriede Hospital is connected to its own hospital health network, while at the same time has become the most diverse medical and care provider in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. In addition to the Waldfriede Hospital, included are following: the Social Centre, the Health Centre PrimaVita with the swimming pool, also the Academy of Health and Nursing, the Privatklinik Nikolassee, the Waldfriede Hospital, the Desert Flower Centre, the Waldfriede retirement home, and an outpatient day clinic. A medical care centre (MVZ) for better outpatient care will be added to the network in the future. The "Waldfriede Network" is also among the largest employers in the district. The carrier is the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. This year the hospital celebrates 100 years of service.
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