Which term describes a non-hospital location used to provide non-acute care during surge?

• A. Alternate Care Site
• B. Point of Dispensing
• C. Continuity of Operations Plan
• D. Hazardous Materials

Answer: (A)

During surge, expanding care beyond hospitals is essential, and an Alternate Care Site is exactly that—a non-hospital location set up to deliver non-acute care. These sites can be community centers, gyms, schools, or other venues repurposed to provide basic medical services, observation, wound care, minor procedures, and monitoring without the full resources of a hospital. They help quickly increase capacity while reserving hospital beds for the most severely ill.

The other options don’t describe this function. A Point of Dispensing focuses on distributing medications or vaccines to large populations, not providing ongoing non-acute care. A Continuity of Operations Plan is about ensuring essential organizational functions continue during disruptions, not about the physical site for patient care. Hazardous Materials relates to handling dangerous substances, not to locations used for delivering non-acute care during a surge.