ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center announced Tuesday it has installed a new ICU inpatient wing to care for COVID-19 and critical patients.
The Strategic, Temporary, Acuity-Adaptable Treatment modular units, or STAAT Mod, arrived on April 25 and were assembled and connected to the hospital, and are ready to receive their first patients this month, Gov. Larry Hogan said in a release Tuesday.
Hogan said Adventist is the first hospital in the nation to install these units.
"Maryland is proud that Fort Washington Medical Center is the first hospital in the country to receive this ICU-level of care unit,” Hogan said. “This newly constructed unit is another example of increasing hospital capacity for care of patients suffering from COVID-19 in Prince George’s County.”
Twelve modules were installed adjacent to the hospital and offer 16 private ICU rooms with isolation and adequate support space. The process, Hogan said, took two weeks to complete.
"COVID-19 is an unprecedented event and we are both grateful and proud to be able to bring the cutting-edge solution to our Fort Washington location," said Terry Forde, President and CEO, Adventist HealthCare said. "Being able to deploy an ICU-level facility and care in three weeks gives our team an opportunity to help even more people in our area who need care so urgently right now."
The STAAT Mod has a 10-year useful life, durable enough to support a longer-term strategy, Hogan said.
The space allows the medical center the ability to separate patient populations to safely return to elective procedures without sacrificing clinical quality, safety, efficiency, or the dignity of any patient.