Tufts Opens Residence Halls To Medical Staff, Recovering Patients

MEDFORD, MA — Tufts University announced Monday it is making its residence halls available to medical personnel, first responders and patients, including those recovering from the coronavirus. The college is offering housing in partnership with local health care providers and its host communities to help prepare for a surge of cases that threatens to overwhelm hospitals' capacity.

Housing is being made available to:

• Cambridge Health Alliance patients, including COVID-19 positive patients who are no longer in need of critical care but who still need to isolate and whose transfer into Tufts residence halls can free up hospital beds for those who are seriously ill;

• Medical personnel from Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts Medical Center who cannot return home to potentially vulnerable family members in high-risk populations;

• First responders from the cities of Somerville and Medford who cannot return home to potentially vulnerable family members because they are awaiting test results, have tested positive and need to isolate, and/or have vulnerable family members who belong to high-risk populations;

• Tufts staff members whose presence is required on campus and who have either had an exposure to a COVID-19 positive person or who prefer to stay on campus so as to not risk infecting family members who have compromised immune systems or other risk factors.

The university is segmenting its campus into separate zones for different types of populations. Its plan is being guided by the advice and direction of medical professionals and logistics experts, ensuring that those who have been exposed to the coronavirus are separated from those who have not, the university said.

"As COVID-19 continues to have an impact globally and locally, it is clear that support and action are needed from all corners. Individuals, communities, and institutions can all play a part in mitigating the spread of this pandemic," Tufts University President Anthony P. Monaco said in a statement. "I feel strongly that Tufts and other universities, particularly research universities, have an abundance of resources to offer our community and health-care partners in their fight against this unprecedented and rapidly changing challenge. We have the ability to help with our space, facilities, infrastructure, and partnerships. We need to match our capacities to providers’ needs in order to help relieve the pressure on the healthcare system."

To help other colleges and universities take similar steps to assist their local hospitals and communities, Tufts will host a webinar in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Education on Wednesday, April 8, at 2 p.m. The webinar is open to colleges, universities, hospitals and government officials from across the country.