County Doubles Number Of Beds For Infected Nursing Home Patients

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Hillsborough County is planning to double the number of beds for assisted living residents with the coronavirus who no longer require hospitalization.

County Administrator Mike Merrill told the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group on Monday that the county is in the process of contracting for an additional 60 beds at The Inn at University Village, 12250 N. 22nd St., Tampa, to serve as a transition unit for senior care residents diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The decision to pursue doubling the number of coronavirus transitional beds at The Inn at University Village is a proactive step, Merrill said. The transition plan was implemented in late May and the beds quickly began filling up. Of the 60 beds currently contracted, 45 are occupied.

The beds are for senior care facility residents who were hospitalized with the virus, but no longer require hospitalization. The assisted living facility is serving as a transitional unit between the hospital and their senior care community while they await final clearance. The patients are temporarily living in a separate wing specifically designated for coronavirus cases. The additional 60 beds would be in a second wing.

The initiative is one of several undertaken by the senior care facility rapid response task force made up of Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the Florida Department of Health-Hillsborough County, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and four hospital systems — Tampa General Hospital, BayCare, AdventHealth, and HCA Healthcare-West Florida Division.

The task force has been coordinating efforts to prevent large-scale outbreaks and avoid overwhelming hospitals that have resumed elective surgeries and other non-coronavirus services.

The majority of coronavirus deaths in Hillsborough County are residents over the age of 65. Residents who live in a senior care facility are at high risk for severe illness related to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Tuesday, Hillsborough County has administered 86,901 coronavirus tests with 4,029 coming back positive.

There are currently 543 people hospitalized with the coronavirus and 103 people have died.

Since the phased reopening of restaurants and other businesses began in May, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hillsborough County continues on an upward trend, with the largest increases in the 25-34 age bracket.

The next televised EPG meeting is scheduled Thursday, June 18 at 1:30 p.m.

The Hillsborough County School Board will hold a televised workshop on Tuesday, June 23, to discuss public schools reopening plans for this fall.

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