Syracuse, N.Y. — Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center is reopening a 35-bed unit exclusively for Covid-19 patients to help free up beds at Syracuse hospitals.
Bishop announced it will open the unit Tuesday. The unit also will accept Covid patients from other nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The 440-bed nursing home opened a Covid-only unit in 2020 that admitted more than 65 Covid patients who had been occupying hospital beds.
Hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities across the state are struggling with a severe shortage of nurses and other health care workers. Many nursing homes are so short-staffed they have stopped accepting patients from hospitals. That can leave hospitals without enough beds for new patients.
“As always, all precautions will be followed including having nurses, certified nursing assistants, social workers and ancillary employees working exclusively on the Covid-only unit,” said Timothy Reedy, Bishop’s administrator.
Bishop said it has been recruiting new employees and has enough to meet the state’s new staffing requirements that take effect in January. The nursing home said 100% of its staff and 91% of residents have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
Bishop said patients in the Covid unit will have access to monoclonal antibody infusion therapy designed for high-risk individuals with mild to moderate symptoms who are at risk for progression to severe illness. The antibodies are designed to mimic those created by the body’s immune system to ward off the virus and fight infection.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful antigens such as viruses.
James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com