A Review of COVID-19 Hotels in New York City During the Early 2020 Outbreak: An Alternative Care Model

Megan Krentsa¹, Katherine McCann², Heather Papowitz³, Rituparna Pati⁴, Tyler B Evans⁵

Affiliations

¹ Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
² Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, USA.
³ COVID-19 Response, World Health Organization, Geneva, CHE.
⁴ COVID-19 Response, World Health Organization, Atlanta, USA.
⁵ Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.

PMID: 39156257
PMCID: PMC11328821
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.64736

Review

A Review of COVID-19 Hotels in New York City During the Early 2020 Outbreak: An Alternative Care Model

Megan Krentsa et al. Cureus. 2024.

. 2024 Jul 17;16(7):e64736.

doi: 10.7759/cureus.64736. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Authors

Megan Krentsa¹, Katherine McCann², Heather Papowitz³, Rituparna Pati⁴, Tyler B Evans⁵

Affiliations

¹ Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.
² Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, USA.
³ COVID-19 Response, World Health Organization, Geneva, CHE.
⁴ COVID-19 Response, World Health Organization, Atlanta, USA.
⁵ Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.

PMID: 39156257
PMCID: PMC11328821
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.64736

Abstract

New York City (NYC) was the epicenter of the early US COVID-19 pandemic. From March to May 2020, overburdened healthcare centers precipitated an emergent need for non-traditional facilities to meet patient care demands. Given travel restrictions and NYC's underutilized tourist infrastructure, hotels were available to support emergency response needs. This article describes the process by which NYC's non-medical COVID-19 hotel programs were selected, mobilized, and operated, including lessons learned. NYC agencies and organizations collaborated, creating an interagency initiative that activated hotels to provide safe isolation and quarantine spaces for those diagnosed with or exposed to COVID-19, aiming to reduce community spread, increase capacity for NYC's strained healthcare system, and mitigate interagency redundancy. Interagency groups addressed hotel challenges, including infection prevention and control; behavioral health, intellectual, and developmental disorders; social determinants of health; and coordination, operations, and planning. NYC's COVID-19 hotel program successfully supported overburdened hospitals by providing alternate locations for non-inpatient COVID-19 individuals. Community engagement required a methodical approach, balancing quality assurance with efficient access. An interagency coordinating body developed and shared clinical criteria for hotel admissions, infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures, and discharge plans, enhancing the program's ability to scale and address complex needs. Lessons learned from this program can be applied for smoother implementation of similar programs in the future.

Keywords: community medicine & public health; coronavirus quarantine; covid-19; covid-19 isolation; disease outbreak; health disparities and vulnerable populations; infectious disease control; public health system; social determinants of health (sdoh); urban health services.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.