COVID-19 isolation unit activated at Ashland Community Hospital

ASHLAND, Ore. – A specialized isolation unit for COVID-19 patients in southern Oregon has reportedly been activated.

According to an internal document verified by numerous sources with Asante, the health system has opened the Ashland Infection Control, Assessment and Response (ICAR) facility for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms who require hospitalization.

The letter was sent after a patient at Asante Ashland Community Hospital tested positive for COVID-19 on March 25. The following day, a patient at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center who tested positive for COVID-19 was transported to the hospital in Ashland, according to the document.

RRMC’s Intensive Care Unit will still be used for those with severe illnesses.

While patient privacy laws prohibit Asante from disclosing identifying information about the patients currently in Ashland’s ICAR unit, investigators are working to find anyone who had contact with the COVID-19 patients.

According to Asante, the ICAR unit is “for people in Southern Oregon with any highly infectious disease.” Staff members undergo special training each year to maintain ICAR certification and readiness.