POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County’s Recovery Center at the community college campus in the Town of Poughkeepsie stands ready as needed should local hospitals exceed their capacity to care for those impacted by COVID-19, county officials said.
County Executive Marcus Molinaro directed the establishment of the Recovery Center last month to ensure the county would have enough beds to care for everyone throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as assist the local hospitals to meet Governor Cuomo’s order to hospital capacity increase by 50 percent now, and plan for 100 percent.
“While we hope we will never need to utilize the Recovery Center based on the current trend in hospitalization, it is important to have this resource ready to care for people as we do not yet know when we will reach our apex with this virus,” Molinaro said. “We must all continue to do our part – stay safe, stay home and if you must go out, social distance with a face covering to stop the spread of this disease.”
In the event local hospitals have limited bed capacity, the Recovery Center will be available to serve individuals who can be discharged from hospital care but still need appropriate support service to continue their recovery before returning home. The Recovery Center will provide safe housing and/or support of activities of daily living for individuals discharged from acute care.
Dutchess Community College’s Conklin Hall Dormitory serves as the location for the Recovery Center, with 176 rooms and 457 beds on 4 different floors. Total capacity will vary based on the number of guests requiring a single room and/or access to a private bathroom per their care plan.
