What medical facilities does the White House have once Trump leaves the hospital?
Once President Donald Trump leaves the hospital, which his physicians say could be as early as Monday, he’ll receive further treatment for COVID-19 at the White House.
Trump, who reportedly tested positive for the virus Thursday and was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, could still face 10 or more days of illness, possibly posing serious health risks, doctors say.
What medical facilities does the White House have to continue treating the president?
The White House Medical Unit, headed by the physician to the president, has a full team of doctors, registered nurses, physician assistants and medics, according to the U.S. Army.
Most are active-duty military personnel, though private physicians also may serve.
The unit provides full-time medical care to the president, vice president and their families. It also provides emergency medical care to White House employees and visitors, CNN reports.
It has “private examination rooms, basic medications and a crash cart for emergency resuscitation,” according to the network.
Doctors can also perform emergency surgery at the White House, the Army says.
“It’s like a mini urgent-care center,” said Dr. E. Connie Mariano, who served as a White House physician from 1993 to 2001, CNN reported.
Dr. Sean Conley, a doctor of osteopathy and a commander in the U.S. Navy, has served as Trump’s physician and head of the medical unit since 2018, National Public Radio reported. He’s the first physician to the president who is not an M.D.
Osteopaths see an “interrelated unity in all systems of the body, with each working with the other to heal in times of illness,” according to Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. They are fully licensed physicians and can write prescriptions.
Trump was moved to Walter Reed hospital on Friday in consultation with Conley and other White House physicians, and Conley is part of his medical team at the hospital.
Trump had a high fever and low blood oxygen level Friday, requiring additional oxygen and prompting his move to Walter Reed hospital by helicopter Friday evening, McClatchy News previously reported.
The president’s blood oxygen levels again dropped Saturday, his physicians said at a Sunday briefing, and he was put on a steroid, dexamethasone, along with two antiviral treatments.
However, his doctors also described Trump’s medical condition as much improved and suggested that discharge procedures could begin as early as Monday if he continues to improve.
