PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Surge tents and temporary morgues will be set up at Providence Medical Center in Portland as health care professionals prepare for the worst as COVID-19 cases continue to spike around the region and the U.S., hospital officials announced on Friday.
In a press release, officials said the surge tents will give health care workers additional space for people coming for emergency care, while the temporary morgues will provide more space so that hospital workers can respectfully handle COVID-19 patients who die.
However, Providence’s medical staff hopes Oregonians will do their part to make sure those morgues are never used.
“We could really use everybody’s help, just make it a little easier on us,” Jaclyn Center, an associate nurse manager at Providence Medical Center, said. “Wear your mask, stay away from people, if you can. And that will just give us a little bit of room to keep doing the work that we need to do.”
Currently, Providence is caring for 90 people who are COVID-19 positive or suspected to have COVID; however, health officials are warning hospitalizations are expected to increase in the coming weeks as record numbers continue to be set, including on Friday.