Hospital Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19, was detected in Israel in February 2020. The local government made decisions regarding the different aspects of crisis management, including hospitalization capacity, and each hospital was required to arrange its facilities accordingly to deal with the new threat and its regional impact. While hospitals in Israel are prepared for emergencies, especially trauma events, they still have to adapt according to the newly emerging threats. Ziv Medical Center (ZMC), located in Northern Israel, has long-standing experience with mass-casualty events, especially war situations. This gained experience had to be adapted to the pandemic needs. In turn, new management processes were developed to support the routine work of the hospital and to address the new needs of COVID-19 patients. This chapter presents the three major challenges posed by the new situation, i.e., protecting staff and patients from infection, tending to the medical needs of COVID-19 patients, and preserving routine hospital activities. The technical (new facilities) and managerial (decisionmaking process) adaptations required to manage the crisis, are detailed. Lessons learned include the need to define and optimally manage the “3 S”: Staff, Space, and Supply, to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the staff being the most critical resource for success.

Keywords: Administration, Board meetings, COVID-19, Emergencies, Hospital management, Manpower, Morale, New demands, Pandemic management, Specialty, Vaccination