COVID-19: Rapid Screening and Treatment Unit (RSTU) Open

Washington Hospital launched a Rapid Screening and Treatment Unit (RSTU) adjacent to the Morris Hyman Critical Care Pavilion behind the Hospital. The RSTU provides a critically important way to screen symptomatic patients for respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, to separate them from other patients. An extension of the Emergency Department, it’s not a drive-thru testing center. Instead, the RSTU allows those with a suspected respiratory illness to be quickly evaluated by a nurse for the seriousness of symptoms.

Most who arrive are likely to be seen, treated, and released by an Emergency Department provider. Those with symptoms too serious to be cared for in the RSTU will be escorted to a treatment area in the ED with appropriate precautions. This enables us to safely isolate those with minor respiratory illnesses from those who need a higher level of care the ED can provide.

The RSTU represents another significant way Washington Hospital is prepared for a surge in respiratory illnesses––and is ready to tackle the community’s health care needs in the safest way possible.