El Centro Regional Medical Center: Ensuring in-patient care during COVID-19
The Security Department at the El Centro Regional Medical Center maintained a compassionate, yet firm security presence, updating its pandemic response policies and processes, resulting in an orderly continuation of patient admissions and continuation of patient care.
El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) is one of only two hospitals in a 4,800-square-mile county in southeastern California. Just 10 miles from the Mexican border, the hospital is the first point of care for many immigrants and American citizens who live in Mexico but cross in to the United States.
Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ECRMC was already strained with serving a very challenging payor mix. As the virus began to spread, the hospital faced an overwhelming influx of COVID-19 patients, positioning it under further pressure of not just finances, but caregiver ratios and patient family members who suddenly were unable to accompany their loved ones into the hospital.