March 25, 2020 – Washington Co., WI – Hospitals including Froedtert West Bend and Aurora in Hartford have set up white tents in their parking lots. Timothy Olsen from Froedtert said theirs is being used as a screening area for incoming patients.
The safety and well-being of our patients, staff and community is our priority. We have a process in place throughout our health network to screen for, test, isolate, and care for individuals with COVID-19.
Therefore, in order to lessen overall exposure of the COVID-19 virus, beginning the week of March 23, Froedtert Hospital, Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital and Froedtert West Bend Hospital introduced tent triage centers at each of their Emergency Department locations. These tents allow us to separate those who are displaying COVID-19 symptoms from other emergency department patients. These tents are for triage purposes only and are not COVID-19 walk-up testing locations.
COVID-19 testing capacity continues to be an unprecedented challenge both nationally and locally. Guidelines are changing rapidly and we are focusing on testing our most at-risk patients and where the results would impact the care we provide our patients.
In the interest of the safety of healthcare providers and other patients, we ask patients who believe they may have COVID-19 to call their health care provider or utilize a virtual-care option. We have established a triage system for patients with symptoms to determine if they meet the requirements for COVID-19 testing.
Below is the setup outside Aurora Medical Center, 1032 E. Sumner Street in Hartford.
Aurora Medical spokeswoman Brianna Wunsch said the tents are part of the surge-planning effort. “The tents may be used as a space to safely and efficiently evaluate patients. People experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or those who have been exposed to someone who has it should visit our resource center at our website provided,” said Wunsch. Click HERE for more information.