Dutchess County Ready With Additional COVID-19 Health Facility, Should It Be Needed

Back on March 23, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo was working to increase hospital capacity across the state by at least 50 percent, with a goal of 100 percent. In order to help do that, Dutchess County has retrofitted the Dutchess Community College’s Conklin Hall Dormitory as a Recovery Facility to house patients who are recovering from COVID-19 and are able to be discharged from a hospital, but still need care.

“While we hope we will never need to utilize the Recovery Center based on the current trend in hospitalization,” said County Executive Marcus Molinaro in a press release, “it is important to have this resource ready to care for people as we do not yet know when we will reach our apex with this virus.”

The Recovery Center has 176 rooms and 457 beds spread over four floors. The total capacity will vary based on the number of people who require a single room and/or access to a private bathroom, per their care plan. Staffing for the Recovery Center consists of approximately 50 medical and nonmedical professionals from multiple disciplines, primarily volunteers from Dutchess County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). Housekeeping and security services are jointly provided by DCC staff and MRC volunteers.

Although staff is trained and prepared and the facility is ready for patient admission, it is not expected it will be necessary to open the facility this week as local hospital bed capacity has remained stable. However, during a presentation to volunteers about the Recovery Center (watch it below), Molinaro indicated that he thought it would eventually be used, and stated such in his speech to volunteers who would be running it: “We have spent the last month hoping that maybe we would not have to get together today… I can tell you first-hand that this is an ugly, ugly disease, and there are a lot of family members struggling really hard… We are hopeful that not one person has to walk through that door, but it is likely that someone will. You will be in one capacity or another, the lifeline that helps them to find recovery, to have hope, and to go back to their families and their homes. We are in a battle - a war - against an enemy that we do not understand, that outmaneuvers us, that attacks our weaknesses. The face of the front-line responder looks a lot different today: it’s health-care providers; it’s public health officials; it’s even grocery store clerks and cashiers; it’s the cleaners who are going to make sure this building stays clean. It’s just a new calling.”

Hospital capacity is evaluated daily, looking out three days, to determine whether it will be necessary to open the recovery center. According to New York State’s Coronavirus Tracker, there are 2,048 positive COVID-19 cases in Dutchess County today (4/15/2020) (Dutchess County Tracker has a slightly lower number), and 114 new positives recorded today. According to Dutchess County’s Tracker, there have been 18 deaths in total in Dutchess County as of today (4/20/2020).

Cathi Tegtmeier, Assistant Commissioner of Behavioral & Community Health for the county, indicated that the Recovery Center will be a relief valve available if needed: “[The Recovery Center] will reduce the stress on our local hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients. This facility, staffed by a dedicated contingent of medical professionals and trained volunteers, will provide a venue for those still recuperating from COVID-19 - but not needing hospitalization - to do so in a safe, contained building before being released home. Having this resource offers our healthcare community some peace of mind that there is a relief valve available to them if needed.”