Ensuring Our Capacity to Care for Our Patients

April 3, 2020

Dear Penn Medicine Colleagues:

The creativity, collaboration and stamina on display throughout our organization is heroic. Together, we have acted with resourcefulness and resolve to rise to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have arrived at another critical stage that will require our continued work as a unified team to care for the expected increase in patients needing care in our hospitals, emergency departments and virtual clinics.

We have seen many examples of the kind of inspirational collaborations that will help us succeed. As cases of COVID-19 grew at Princeton Health, for example, Chester County Hospital sent extra ventilators to ensure their team would be adequately supplied. Our virtual e-ICU is providing remote support to keep patients safe in critical care settings across our hospitals. We’re also redeploying staff to provide training and hands-on support to colleagues across each entity.

 Our focus has now shifted to ensuring our capacity to care for more patients as the COVID-19 surge continues:

  • Each of our hospital campuses have mapped surge plans, and we’ve pivoted our new construction projects to be at the ready.
  • Construction crews are working around the clock to open 120 beds in the Pavilion at HUP this month, as patient rooms in Chester County Hospital’s new addition are also being readied.
  • Eight dedicated staff are working full-time on procurement of personal protective equipment and management of donations to keep each of our entities fully supplied.
  • We’re in close communication with state and federal authorities to maximize capacity and resources in tandem with colleagues from other hospitals outside our system.

We want you to know that we are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to protect the health and safety of our front-line healthcare providers.

You should know, too, that your tireless efforts have inspired the support of a grateful community across the region we serve. Businesses, our patients, and generous donors are standing with you.

 We are asking you today to continue to be ready for anything. Please: Be safe, be strong, and be smart. We will make a difference, and we’ll do it together.

 J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD

Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System

Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine

Kevin B. Mahoney

CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System