On March 19, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Martin County, Fla., but the head of Cleveland Clinic Florida insists the health system is prepared for the outbreak, according to TC Palm.
With 11,000 employees and five hospitals in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties, Cleveland Clinic Florida began "disaster planning" two months ago in preparation of the novel coronavirus, Wael Barsoum, MD, the system's CEO and president, told TC Palm.
Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in Stuart initiated drive-thru testing March 14. It has screened about 2,050 people by phone, with 340 people tested at the hospital, including the first patient to test positive in the region March 19.
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach and Cleveland Clinic Tradition in Port St. Lucie opened similar drive-thru testing facilities March 20.
As of 2 p.m. March 19, CCF has 240 of its 840 beds available in the Treasure Coast region and recently added 20 ventilators to its two hospitals in Martin County.