Reading Hospital adds emergency tent, virtual ICU

Reading Hospital has added an emergency tent adjacent to the hospital’s emergency department, one of several changes to adjust to the hospital’s needs during the COVID-19 crisis.

The tent will add capacity and be used to treat suspected COVID-19 patients, according to the Tower Health Network, the Reading-based parent health organization of Reading Hospital. The tent can also be used for future emergencies as needed.

In addition, a virtual intensive care unit will allow the hospital’s critical care physicians to remotely monitor patients in all ICU’s and provide direction to caregivers onsite. The virtual intensive care unit will be a permanent fixture at Reading Hospital after the pandemic is over, according to Tower Health.

The hospital has also placed a trailer on site to serve as a temporary morgue in the event their internal facilities reach capacity.

Reading Hospital Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to helping the hospital fund its mission, donated $250,000 dollars to help pay for these COVID-19-related changes.

“The Foundation is here to support the Reading Hospital community, physicians, and staff,” said Jeff Rush, Foundation chairman in a statement. “We’ve never seen anything like this in the storied history of our hospital and we are committed to providing the assistance needed at this critical time.”