Biorisk Management Features of a Temporary COVID-19 Hospital

Yale University designed and constructed a temporary field hospital for 100 COVID-19 symptomatic patients. Conservative biocontainment decisions were made in design and operational practices. Objectives of the field hospital included the safe flow of patients, staff, equipment and supplies, and obtaining approval by the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) for opening as a field hospital.

The CT DPH regulations for mobile hospitals were used as primary guidance for the design, equipment, and protocols. References for BSL-3 and ABSL-3 design from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Tuberculosis isolation rooms from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were also utilized. The final design involved an array of experts throughout the university.

Vendors tested and certified all High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and balanced the airflows inside the field hospital. Yale Facilities designed and constructed positive pressure access and exit tents within the field hospital, established appropriate pressure relationships between zones, and added Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value 16 exhaust filters. The BioQuell ProteQ Hydrogen Peroxide decontamination unit was validated with biological spores in the rear sealed section of the biowaste tent. A ClorDiSys Flashbox UV-C Disinfection Chamber was also validated. Visual indicators were placed the doors of the pressurized tents and spaced throughout the facility to verify airflows. The plans created to design, construct and operate the field hospital provide a blueprint for recreating and reopening a field hospital in the future if ever needed at Yale University.