For Immediate Release:
Monday, March 30, 2020
Gov. Holcomb Details COVID-19 Surge Plan
Governor also signs executive order
INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb today signed an executive
order and detailed Indiana’s plan for the anticipated spike in COVID-19
cases. To see a copy of the executive order, click here:
https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm
“We see a surge coming and we’re calling in the reinforcements,
bolstering Indiana’s capacity to provide additional health care
services during this emergency,” said Gov. Eric J. Holcomb. “By
eliminating licensing barriers and tapping in to the available talent
pool of healthcare workers, Hoosiers are staffing up and stepping up to
meet this challenge head-on.”
The executive order allows the following professionals who do not currently
hold an active license to practice:
- medical professionals who retired or became inactive in the last five years
- medical professionals who hold licenses in other states
- medical professionals who held licenses in other states and retired or
became inactive in the last five years
- certain medical students and graduates
These professionals must register with the Indiana Professional Licensing
Agency via their website at www.in.gov/pla. These professionals will be
able to assist in screenings, telemedicine and other basic procedures
to allow regularly licensed medical professionals to be on the frontline.
In Indiana, the baseline number of critical care hospital beds is 1,432.
As of Monday, hospitals have already taken steps to increase the number
of critical care hospital beds to 1,940. Overall, the state’s plan
is to double the number, if needed, by taking existing noncritical care
hospital beds, recovery rooms, operating rooms and outpatient facilities,
turning them into critical care hospital beds.
In Indiana, the baseline number of ventilators is 1,177 ventilators. As
of Monday, hospitals have identified another 750 ventilators that can
be used for critical care patients. Overall, the state’s plan is
to double the number, if needed, by repurposing ventilators from operating
rooms, ambulatory care centers, EMS and the Indiana National Guard.
Additionally, the surge plan calls for moving less critical patients to
alternate facilities including neighborhood hospitals, medical clinics
and state-owned hospitals, such as unopened floors at the NeuroDiagnostic
Institute hospital in Indianapolis and the Richmond State Hospital.
If needed, after all of these steps are exhausted, Indiana will be prepared
to put patients in alternative facilities. The Indiana National Guard
and Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with FEMA, are in
charge of these plans.
The state of Indiana has been working on plans related to COVID-19 since
January, and each hospital has a disaster plan in place. Planning has
become more specific for state health and hospital officials as models
of the projected impact of coronavirus became available. Based on those
models, Indiana’s patient surge is expected to begin soon and the
peak is expected to be mid-April to mid-May.
Attached are the graphics used in Monday’s press conference.
Click here to download public service announcements (PSAs) recorded by
the state for your use:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/egf210ognxxyx4h/AADYd7E-tBn7P6gtiLSZUiVBa?dl=0
More information may be found at the ISDH website at
coronavirus.in.gov and the CDC website at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.