Forest Hills Hospital To Open Third ICU Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital is tripling the size of its ICU to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, which already has the hospital hovering just over capacity.

The Forest Hills hospital, which is part of the Northwell Health system and a division of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, is opening a third ICU to create more room for patients who have fallen seriously ill from the new coronavirus, a hospital spokesperson told Patch.

The new unit will bring the hospital's number of ICU beds to 54, up from its typical 18 beds.

As of Wednesday morning, the hospital is running just over capacity, with 185 patients who either tested positive for COVID-19 or are potentially positive for the virus, Northwell Health spokesperson Diane O'Donnell said.

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"The number of patients in the hospital will be in constant flux as we are using a system of balance-loading which allows us to transfer patients to our other Northwell Health hospitals who have greater capacity," O'Donnell said in an emailed statement.

"We are continually identifying other areas within the hospital that can be converted to treat critical care patients so this number will change as well."

The hospital has a "sufficient supply" of ventilators and protective equipment for patients and staff, according to O'Donnell.

Have been in touch with Forest Hills Hospital & they are about to open their 3rd ICU. They have 190 people with the virus and as of the other day most are from Forest Hills. They only have 220 beds. Please follow the 6 ft. The best way to stop this is to #StayHome
— Karen Koslowitz (@CMKoslowitz) March 31, 2020

Forest Hills is among the New York City neighborhoods that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic so far, according to health department data released Wednesday.

More than 400 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the 11375 ZIP code as of March 31, according to data the city posted on Github, a resource for developers and coders.

Queens has the most COVID-19 cases of the five boroughs, accounting for a third of New York City's cases with nearly 15,000 confirmed cases as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to NYC Department of Health data.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already pushed Elmhurst Hospital well over capacity, Patch first reported, prompting doctors to speak out about the "dire situation" behind the double doors.

City officials responded by sending at least four batches of additional health care workers, ventilators and personal protective equipment to Elmhurst Hospital; to free up room at the hospital, some Elmhurst patients will be moved to a temporary hospital in the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

With the peak of New York City's pandemic now expected in late April, city hospital officials say it's only a matter of time before other hospitals look like Elmhurst.

"The borough of Queens is clearly on the front edge of this pandemic," Health + Hospitals Vice President and Chief Quality Officer Eric Wei said Tuesday. "But we're seeing it in Brooklyn. We're seeing it at Kings County, Coney Island, Woodhull — are all surging as well."

Coronavirus In NYC: What's Happened And What You Need To Know