Old post office turned into CRH Heroes House for COVID-19 exposed healthcare workers

Columbus Regional Health will be using a downtown landmark as a place for healthcare workers to stay while they work with COVID-19 patients or after they have been exposed to the illness.

Kelsey DeClue, spokeswoman for CRH, explains:

Calling it the “CRH Heroes House,”the hospital has made arrangements with Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana to use the former post office building at 7th and Washington Streets to house the workers, who may not want to go home to their families due to their exposure on the frontlines of the pandemic.

The building has been used previously as housing for LHP workers and is in the midst of being converted into the Fresh Start Recovery Center, a substance abuse recovery house for women and their children. The recovery center was supposed to open last month, but plans were put on hold due to the pandemic.

Plans are for the recovery home opening to be rescheduled after the current crisis.

The building can house up to 17 healthcare workers in individual rooms, each with a private bathroom. Community restaurants are stepping in to provide daily meals for the healthcare workers.

DeClue said that CRH currently has 23 healthcare workers who have been infected with the coronavirus. The hospital has been able to avoid any staffing shortages during the crisis, DeClue said.

DeClue said the hospital has eight COVID-19 patients with two in critical condition.