Arizona Surge Line
An emergent statewide Covid-19 transfer service with equity as an outcome
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22088710 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lisa Villarroel (Arizona Department of Health Services, corresponding author), Erin Tams, Erin M Tams (Arizona Department of Health Services), L T Smith (Arizona Department of Health Services), Luke Smith (0000-0003-4840-3514), Jessica Rigler (Arizona Department of Health Services), Dena Wilson (Indian Health Service), Chengcheng Hu (0000-0001-8525-0356, University of Arizona), Marilyn K Glassberg (0000-0003-1990-6614, University of Arizona) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Pages | 1028353-1028353 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1028353 |
| PMID | 36761321 |
| OpenAlex | W4317930660 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 9 |
Introduction: The Arizona Surge Line was an emergent initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate COVID-19 patient transfers and load-level hospitals on a statewide level. It was designed and implemented by the Arizona Department of Health Services in preparation for the first hospital surge due to COVID-19, recognizing the disproportionate impact that hospital surge would have on rural and tribal populations. Methods: We analyzed the Arizona Surge Line transfer data for the state's first two COVID-19 surges (4/16/2020-3/6/2021). Transfer data included transfer request characteristics, patient demographics and participating hospital characteristics. When applicable, we compared this data with Arizona census data, COVID-19 case data, and the CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index. The primary outcomes studied were the proportion of COVID-19 patient requests being successfully transferred, the median transfer time, and the proportion of vulnerable populations impacted. Results: During the period of study, 160 hospitals in Arizona made 6,732 requests for transfer of COVID-19 patients. The majority of these patients (84%, 95% CI: 83-85%) were placed successfully with a median transfer time of 59 min (inter-quartile range 33-116). Of all transfer requests, 58% originated from rural hospitals, 53% were for patients of American Indian/Alaska Native ethnicity, and 73% of patients originated from highly vulnerable areas. The majority (98%) of receiving facilities were in urban areas. The Arizona Surge Line matched the number of transfers with licensed market shares during the period of study. Conclusions: The Arizona Surge Line is an equity-enhancing initiative that disproportionately benefited vulnerable populations. This statewide transfer infrastructure could become a standard public health mechanism to manage hospital surges and enhance access to care during a health emergency
2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Business · Disease · Economics · Geography · Meteorology · Outbreak · Political science · Surge · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Disaster Response and Management · Healthcare Policy and Management · Medicine · Internal Medicine · Virology
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |