Bergen New Bridge To Begin Testing All Employees For Coronavirus

PARAMUS, NJ — At Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, officials are referring to the recent spike in coronavirus cases as a "surge."

"The surge we anticipated was going to come is here," said Bergen New Bridge CEO Deborah Visconi.

"Bergen County, once again, is one of the hot spots in the north," she added.

On Thursday, Visconi said the hospital had no coronavirus patients, but there were seven at New Bridge earlier in the week.

So, how do you stop the surge?

Visconi believes it can be done through asymptomatic testing, which the hospital will implement for all 2,200 of its employees beginning Monday, she told Patch over the phone Thursday evening.

There is a "tremendous amount of asymptomatic spread," Visconi said, a trend the hospital has discovered at its mobile testing sites in partnership with Bergen County, but also inside the walls of the hospital, with more employees testing positive.

The testing will be conducted department by department, and employees will receive a test every other week, Visconi said.

She believes it's a first step to quelling the coronavirus spread.

"The way to find the virus and stop the virus in its track is by asymptomatic testing," said Visconi.

In addition to a push for asymptomatic testing, the hospital feels confident that antibody treatments can help it treat patients who do get admitted.

Visconi told Patch that the hospital will have access to the newly approved Eli Lilly treatment. At Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, the hospital has been enrolling a growing number of patients in the Regeneron studies, the same antibody cocktail given to President Donald Trump.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 395 new cases of the coronavirus in the county Thursday, just part of the state's 3,517 new cases.

In the northern region of the state, which includes Bergen County, 901 hospitalizations were reported Wednesday, nearly half of the state's 1,827 total hospitalizations.

As numbers grow, New Bridge is beginning to restrict visitation at the hospital. Visconi said it won't be cut altogether, but fewer people will be allowed in than in recent months.

For more information on visitation rules, click here.

As hospitals across the county refine their COVID-19 protocols, Visconi said Bergen New Bridge is "dusting off" its preparedness plans and has a back stock of 90 days worth of PPE.

A temporary hospital built by Holt Construction in the spring provides Bergen New Bridge with additional beds. Following a walk-through of the facility earlier Thursday, Visconi reports it could be used immediately if necessary.

She's admittedly unsure of what to expect in terms of case numbers but said the hospital is ready for the number of patients who do come through the door.

"I think that it’s going to be more than zero," she said.