The health sector has been preparing for the Olympic Games for months. In total, in the Île-de-France region, 750 beds will be available if needed. The Estrée clinic in Stains says it is ready, just a few days before the start of the competition.
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From the reception hall, it is quickly understood that the Estrée clinic, in Stains, in Seine-Saint-Denis, has switched to “Olympic Games” mode. It is one of twelve private hospitals in Île-de-France that are contributing to accommodate the influx of patients expected during the Games period, as well as the AP-HP hospitals. The ARS of the region has also taken inspiration from the organization of London and Rio.
On the ceiling of the clinic, garlands with flags from countries around the world. And everywhere, paper cones. The head of communications, Suzy Bilezikjian, assures us that everything is homemade, “as the director would say.” An Olympic flame, for example, was made from popcorn cones.
Three floors up is the surgical department. This is where anything can happen during the Games, and the surgical teams are on standby. “For now, we are leaving one wing open and one wing closed. If we need to reopen, we will fully reopen the surgery department,” assures one of the doctors.
Usually, in the summer, the clinic closes 34 beds. But for the Games, it will be able to reopen 25. The teams plan mainly to treat supporters who have suffered minor injuries, such as sunstroke or fractures after a jostle or fall. An exceptional arrangement, especially since the clinic is located at the crossroads of several Olympic sites: the aquatic center and the Stade de France on one side, the Paris-Nord arena on the other.
Gorka Noir, the director of the Estrie clinic, assures us: here, we are used to exceptional situations. “We are at the clinic that has had the most Covid cases to treat in all of France. So, we have this capacity to adapt very quickly to needs when they arise.”
He recalls that during the pandemic, the hospital even opened an intensive care unit which operated for 18 months. “There, at the Olympic Games, it’s a little different because we’ve been organizing things for a year, assures the director, we know that we won’t have this problem, that people will be there.”
“We are reopening beds under conditions that are planned, organized with staff. This is likely to reassure us that we will be able to respond without difficulty.”
Gorka Noir, director of the clinicto franceinfo
The teams are prepared for all events. Cyberattack exercises or attack devices have even taken place. Before that, they will have to deal with a first test, the passage of the flame, Thursday, July 25, a few streets from the clinic.