Six coronavirus patients in intensive care at Charlton; 11 hospitalized

FALL RIVER – Twenty people have died from COVID-19 at Southcoast Health’s three hospital sites since the pandemic began.

Southcoast Health spokesman Shawn Badgley said Tuesday that there are currently 40 patients hospitalized, including 11 at Charlton Memorial Hospital.

Six of those patients at Charlton are in the intensive care unit, with five on a ventilator.

Badgley said another 53 patients are under investigation because they may have symptoms or have been exposed, or are awaiting test results, with 16 of those patients at Charlton.

St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford currently has 24 patients, with six in the intensive care unit and eight patients using a ventilator. Another 31 patients are under investigation for COVID-19.

So far, Southcoast Health has performed some 2,000 tests, with 293 positive results and another 379 under investigation.

“Our testing capacity continues to increase,” Badgley said in an email exchange with The Herald News.

Southcoast is opening two southeastern Massachusetts regional care centers in New Bedford that will treat patients recovering from COVID-19 who still need treatment, but not intensive care. They will be located in former nursing homes on Rockdale Avenue and Acushnet Avenue.

“Their purpose is to care for convalescing COVID-19 patients while keeping needed capacity available in our hospitals,” Badgley said.

The first New Bedford center will open this week with 107 beds, with the second opening later in April with 123 beds.

“These centers will help offset patient volume concerns anticipated as part of a surge,” Badgley said.

Field hospital to open at UMass Dartmouth

Southcoast Health, in collaboration with the state, plans to open a field hospital with more than 100 beds at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Badgley said it will use structures already on the now-closed college campus.

Southcoast Health will be the licensee, and the field hospital will be staffed by its physicians and providers, nurses, and clinical staff.

“This is a massive undertaking that has been led by Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito, along with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and our legislative delegation. The field hospital represents their enduring commitment to protecting all residents in every region of the Commonwealth as, together, we combat the COVID-19 pandemic," said Renee Clark, Chief Operating Officer, Southcoast Health. "Southcoast is grateful to these leaders and, of course, to Chancellor Johnson and the UMass-Dartmouth community for their public service and collaborative spirit. We’re prepared to provide compassionate, high-quality care to all who need it.

“Southcoast is grateful to these leaders and, of course, to Chancellor Johnson and the UMass-Dartmouth community for their public service and collaborative spirit.

Steward Health, which runs 10 hospitals in Massachusetts including St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, reported last week that it had designated Morton Hospital in Taunton for patients with novel coronavirus in need of intensive care beds.

Carney Hospital in Dorchester is another designated COVID-19 Steward hospital, with patients also being hospitalized at its other sites due to a high volume of cases in the state.

Badgley said Southcoast Health is now able to assign N95 masks to staffers that can be sterilized and worn up to five times by individual users to keep its “frontline heroes safe” and conserve personal protective equipment.

He said Merrow Manufacturing has been “cranking out thousands of gowns for us.” Oberon in New Bedford has fabricated thousands of face shields, as well, that “add another line of defense” for front line providers and others.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.