UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital is partnering with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and others on a multi-year research initiative to explore how existing infrastructure can rapidly be converted to provide hospital-level care in the event of a national health emergency.
Funded by a grant from the Department of Defense, the research addresses a critical challenge in national preparedness: the strain placed on the U.S. healthcare system during a prolonged mass casualty event. According to DoD projections, national health emergencies or a large-scale overseas combat scenario resulting in high numbers of patients could deplete national hospital bed capacity within 10-12 days.
The University of Colorado Department of Emergency Medicine received a $12.5-million grant in 2023 to develop an alternative care facility using creative, scalable solutions. The study’s first phase focused on developing a comprehensive ‘playbook’ to rapidly set up temporary hospital space in a hotel.
Now, in year two, the research team has completed a working prototype inside the Hyatt Regency Aurora-Denver Conference Center, located across the street from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. Two fully functional intensive care units have been constructed, one inside a conference room and another using hotel rooms converted into patient rooms, a nursing station, imaging and laboratory services.
Unlike temporary hospital spaces used during the COVID-19 pandemic, including tents and convention centers, the hotel model offers several advantages including improved infection control, private bathrooms and the ability to isolate patients to ensure safer, more effective hospital-level care.
The final phase of the research will focus on testing the model in other cities, refining and finalizing a comprehensive playbook and developing algorithmic tools to help hospital decision-makers select appropriate surge solutions based on needs and available resources.
