From routine checkups to the most pressing times under a global pandemic, healthcare workers around the world are working tirelessly and proving how courageous, determined and selfless they truly are.
On the frontlines every day, these heroes need a safe and comfortable home away from home to recharge their batteries. Being exposed to widespread calamities in the emergency room or the ICU during the current global pandemic leaves little time and headspace for medical workers to think of their own needs. That said, it’s important to be able to go home to accommodation you trust when the hardship of your day comes to a close.
Amidst the evolving circumstances of COVID-19, it’s become apparent that dedicated doctors are willing to go in masses wherever they are needed. For instance, China has sent 300 intensive-care doctors to Italy; the UK has mobilized 10,000 nurses, more than 700 doctors and nearly 8,000 other clinical staff, who have been reallocated from the private sector to the NHS. Meanwhile, the US has dispatched thousands of additional temporary nurses to New York, Connecticut and Washington, with pay packages — which include a housing stipend — having more than doubled.
As medical personnel numbers grow, hospital staff are increasingly relocating and in need of temporary housing options that are furnished, flexible and suitable to their unique call of duty.
Many health care workers have decided to move out of their homes and self-isolate in order to prevent community spread amid the pandemic. Dr. Tim Cheng, a pulmonary and critical care doctor in Orange County, California, went so far as to set up a tent with a twin bed in his garage in order to self-isolate from his family. Dr. Morgan Garrett also has put his wife and five children further out of harm’s way by moving out of their Cartersville, Georgia home.
With admirable stories of physicians living out of their garages or basements, sleeping in separate bedrooms, or wearing masks the whole time they are home, their heroic stance calls for their own immediate and safe shelter.
Hospital workers may also look to temporarily relocate their spouses or family members to their own sanitized temporary apartment. With minimizing physical contact in mind, healthcare workers have looked at ways to temporarily separate living spaces by renting a secondary residence for their loved ones.
Additionally, the spike in volume of hospital patients, in turn means that family will want to be nearby to support. Whether you are coming from across the city, or your loved one is being treated across the state, you’ll be looking for short term housing nearby. A walking distance location to the specific medical hub or clinic is crucial when last-minute calls come in, or public transit service is reduced or canceled.
Temporary hospitals are currently being built around the world at a surprising speed. For example, China’s Huoshenshan Hospital, was built in little over a week with a capacity of 1,000 beds. A soccer field southwest of Seattle was also transformed into a makeshift hospital at the end of March. While on the East Coast, the Javits Center in New York City has been converted into a coronavirus treatment site for 1000+ patients, adding to multiple other temporary hospitals being set up outside the city.
All of these temporary centers require a full staff to keep them running, and, in turn, that staff needs a place to retreat to that is fully-equipped and catered to their needs. Although the reliability of off-hours is low, you’ll want to ensure that you have a temporary home with peace of mind once you’re ready to settle in for the day. There is no doubt that a change of environment and allocated time for rest are among the most basic needs for emergency healthcare professionals.
A number of colleges across the U.S. have already offered their empty student dorms to hospital workers. With only barebone accommodation amenities, they are not an ideal situation for rapid response doctors and nurses. Kitchen spaces, if available, are inevitably shared, and private bathrooms for both sanitation and privacy purposes are not a given. For those looking to work on a laptop or layout paperwork, dedicated workspaces and relaxation areas are minimal.
When you’re in a rush and need a place that only requires you to show up with a suitcase, look no further than Blueground. Walking distance to preeminent medical hubs and hospitals worldwide, from Los Angeles and New York to London and Dubai, you can easily find a turnkey apartment near work. Furthermore, every home comes fully-furnished and completely equipped because hospital staff have much bigger priorities in the moment than setting up a new home base. The Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery are among the leaders in U.S. healthcare who count on Blueground to support their teams with accommodation.
Book online before your arrival and benefit from flexible lease terms allowing for month to month renting during the uncertainty of the current pandemic. As a tenant, you’ll have access to the Blueground Guest App, from which you can report any maintenance issue, arrange contactless support and live chat with Blueground’s Client Experience team. Essential information is also kept there to check in at a time convenient to you, with WiFi credentials to keep you connected at high-speed from day one. Regardless of your reason for booking, be it your new hospital job or looking for a place to self-isolate, Blueground makes it easy to show up and start living.
We continue to give gratitude to those working in hospitals, putting themselves at risk every day to help others. Resident doctors, junior physicians, travel nurses and other hospital personnel have so much on their plate and shouldn’t feel burdened with life logistics to distract from their crisis response. With a full site of available Blueground properties near hospitals now with greater discounts and cancellation flexibility, we can ensure that housing will be one less thing to worry about when on the frontline. If you or a medical professional are in need of housing, please contact our team by phone (917.259.1206) or email (enterprise@theblueground) to chat through your needs.
We offer immediate and short-term apartments for medical staff housing in close proximity to the following major hospitals:
As hospital staff work all day every day in compromising situations, we urge our fellow citizens to follow diligent measures for healthy hygiene and safety. For those of us safely in our own homes, please make sure you’re continuing to follow standard protocol to safeguard your health and that of your community.
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