USACS Partner Plays Crucial Role in Staffing L.A. Area COVID-19 Surge Hospital

Man wearing face mask walking in front of hospital

This Spring, in response to the surging volume of COVID-19 patients, the State of California opted to open a Los Angeles Surge Hospital (LASH). The state selected Dignity Health, in partnership with Kaiser, to set up the hospital. VEP Healthcare (VEP)–now part of US Acute Care Solutions–was selected to provide the physician staffing and management for the ICU and the Hospitalist Services. This required VEP to bring together a group of Intensivists and Hospitalists in just two weeks, in the middle of a pandemic.

Together with Dignity Health and Kaiser, VEP was proud of the excellent care they were able to provide for the very sick, intubated patients who came through the surge hospital and the support the surge facility offered hospitals in Southern California during the volume influx. LASH operated from mid-April 2020 through the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

Marc Futernick, MD, FACEP Former VEP Regional Medical Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Marc Futernick, MD, FACEP was featured in Lifeline Magazine regarding his involvement in establishing and operating The Los Angeles Surge Hospital.

“I had the privilege of working with a dedicated, mission-driven group of administrators, directors, and physicians. We all took time away from our usual jobs, exposed ourselves to increased risk, and came together for a common purpose,” Dr. Futernick wrote in Lifeline Magazine. “Although shorter than expected, it was an experience I will not forget. I believe we provided excellent care to a population in need and provided insurance against the unfathomable situation of rationing ventilators or ICU beds, as has happened elsewhere.”

Learn more about the historic and heroic service provided by our clinical leaders, provider teams, and administrative teams at the surge hospital in featured articles on the topic, linked below:

Lifeline Magazine – Establishing and Operating the Los Angeles Surge Hospital, by Marc Futernick, MD, FACEP

Advisory Board: This ‘SEAL team’ of doctors opened a Covid-19 surge hospital in just 2 weeks

LA Times: These Doctors Brought a Shuttered L.A. Hospital Back to Life to Fight Coronavirus

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