For patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and isolated on the fourth floor of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital — where no visitors are admitted — video calls might serve as the sole connection with loved ones or means to ask a nurse a quick question without anyone having to don layers of protective gear.“It helps them to feel connected to the outside world — and to us,” said Patch Cunanan, a nurse who works on the floor. The hospital provides patients who don’t have smartphones access with iPads.An on-site fleet of 15 iPads at the hospital has grown to 61, following a recent donation from Glendale city officials and a private donor. Update: As of April 6, 2020, the has confirmed 142 cases in Glendale at a rate of 70.43, and 6,360 cases in L.A.

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— City of Glendale, CA (@MyGlendale)With family and friends no longer permitted to even set foot on the floor where COVID-19 patients are being treated, the hospital has been fielding a lot more phone calls from concerned loved ones checking in on patients, Cunanan said.“They can’t see them, which is really hard,” Cunanan said. “At least now they can see them through their iPads.”The devices are also helping more directly in treatment.Nurses in hospital settings typically visit patients hourly, known as rounds, to see how they’re doing.