Childrens Hospital at Montefi ore provides
care to adult COVID-19 patients
BY JASON COHEN
Over the course of two weeks
in March 2020, COVID-19 cases
at Montefi ore grew from two to
almost 700.
As the health care system
looked to increase capacity, an
inpatient pediatric unit at the
Children’s Hospital at Montefi
ore (CHAM) quickly became
a 40-bed unit that would
be home to adult patients. A
new, fi rst-of-its-kind report published
in the Journal of Pediatrics
describes the rapid transformation
that took place.
The report also shared valuable
lessons learned and best
practices for healthcare providers
throughout the country,
who may face a similar situation
in the weeks ahead.
“In collaboration with
our adult care providers, we
quickly trained CHAM clinicians
on how to provide an effective,
informed and thoughtful
approach to care for our
new adult patients,” said lead
author Kaitlyn Philips, DO,
assistant medical director of
Pediatric Quality, CHAM and
assistant professor of pediatrics
at Albert Einstein College
of Medicine. “In a matter
of weeks, our physicians and
nurses became accustomed to
new policies and protocols, caring
for adults with a highly contagious
disease, and many with
other underlying conditions.”
Instead of assigning pediatricians
to be part of teams
led by adult medicine physicians,
Montefi ore developed
a strategy of training pediatrician
led teams and having
them work within their own
familiar setting. Established
CHAM teams of pediatric
physicians and nurses consulted
with adult-medicine
physicians to provide life-saving
care to more than 100 patients
within 10 days of accepting
adults.
The new report outlines
the steps taken to prepare and
train pediatric healthcare
providers on how to treat a
new, older population, including
enhanced communication,
BRONX TIMES R 28 EPORTER, MAY 8-14, 2020 BTR
adapted rounding practices
and a new approach with
adult hospital medicine providers.
“This effort is a true example
of interdisciplinary care
and all-hands-on-deck preparation,”
said Michael Cabana,
physician-in-chief at CHAM
and The Michael I. Cohen,
University Chair in the Department
of Pediatrics at Albert
Einstein College of Medicine.
“Our teams mobilized
early, quickly and effectively
to provide high-quality care to
the parents and grandparents
of their usual patients. Being
part of a large, integrated
healthcare system enabled us
to access the expertise and resources
necessary to provide
this care.”
In addition to providing
recommended therapies for
adults, the team recognized
that palliative care is crucial.
Dr. Cabana and Dr. Sarah
Norris, director of Pediatric
Palliative Care and the Quality
in Life Team (QUILT) at
CHAM, trained 27 pediatricians,
nurse practitioners and
psychologists in one week.
They were then deployed
throughout the adult COVID-19
unit at CHAM to help patients
and their families stay connected,
informed and educated
during hospitalization.
The expanded QUILT team became
a lifeline for patients and
their families, available seven
days per week to help them as
they faced complex medical
decisions and uncertainty.
The last adult patient has
been discharged from CHAM
and the providers will now
care for pediatric patients
again. Approximately 150
adults received COVID-19
treatment at CHAM.
The unit in CHAM when it was prepared for adults.
Photo courtesy Montefi ore
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