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83-746: The Hospital El Salvador is a major hospital in San Salvador , El Salvador, which was planned to be the largest hospital in Latin America. The first phase was constructed between March and June 2020 as a conversion of the International Fair and Convention Center  [ es ] ( Centro Internacional de Ferias y Convenciones , CIFCO) and formed part of El Salvador's response to the COVID-19 pandemic , exclusively receiving COVID-19 patients. Originally intended to be temporary, it

166-457: A tropical wet and dry climate under the Köppen climate classification , and enjoys very warm to hot weather all year round, with daily mean temperatures of 27 °C or 80.6 °F. Its average elevation of 658 meters (2,159 feet) causes the city to experience slightly cooler temperatures in the mornings, higher solar radiation, and greater diurnal air temperature variation (particularly during

249-620: A District board. There are seven districts in San Salvador, Districts 1–6 and the Historic Downtown. The six districts: Total population in all six districts: 567,788 The city is located in the Boquerón Volcano Valley, a region of high seismic activity. The city's average elevation is 659 meters (2,162 feet) above sea level , but ranges from a highest point of 1,186 meters (3,891 feet) above sea level to

332-472: A higher staff-to-patient ratio and access to advanced medical resources and equipment that is not routinely available elsewhere. Common conditions that are treated within ICUs include acute respiratory distress syndrome , septic shock , and other life-threatening conditions. Patients may be referred directly from an emergency department or from a ward if they rapidly deteriorate, or immediately after surgery if

415-483: A hospital ward can offer) or on a 1:1 basis for patients requiring extreme intensive support and monitoring; for example, a patient on multiple vasoactive medications to keep their blood pressure high enough to perfuse tissue. The patient may require multiple machines; Examples: continuous dialysis CRRT , a intra-aortic balloon pump , ECMO . International guidelines recommend that every patient gets checked for delirium every day (usually twice or as much required) using

498-555: A kind not found elsewhere in Latin America. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built in the 1950s combining Baroque and eclectic styles of architecture. The National palace, built in 1905, is a mix of Gothic , Neoclassical , and Renaissance Revival architecture. The National Theater is the oldest theater in Central America, being built in 1917 in the French Renaissance Revival style with details in

581-922: A lowest point of 596 m (1,955 ft) above sea level. The municipality is surrounded by these natural features of the landscape: the Acelhuate River on the east, the San Jacinto Hill on the south east, El Picacho Mountain and the Bicentennial Park on the West, North by the San Antonio River, southward by the Cordillera del Balsamo (Balsam Mountain Range); westward by the Boquerón Volcano and Cerro El Picacho ,

664-742: A population of 1,600,000 inhabitants. The city is home to the Consejo de Ministros de El Salvador (Council of Ministries of El Salvador), the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador , the Supreme Court of El Salvador , and other governmental institutions, as well as the official residence of the President of El Salvador . San Salvador is located in the Salvadoran highlands, surrounded by volcanoes and prone to earthquakes. The city

747-494: A result of a contest launched in 1943. The shield (designed by the painter José Mejía Vides ) is divided into four quadrants: the two quadrants at the top right and bottom left have blue and white fields symbolizing the national flag; the top left quadrant displays a symbolic emerald necklace; and the lower right contains the bell of the Church of La Merced, representing the 1811 Independence Movement , when José Matías Delgado rang

830-779: A result of declining COVID-19 cases, in April and May 2022, many doctors and nurses were transferred from the Hospital El Salvador to other medical facilities. Also in April, the government proposed converting the hospital into a specialty facility dealing with complex cases; labor unions in the Ministry of Health have noted a lack of transparency or communication with staff. The COVID-19 vaccination center closed in August 2022. By May 2023, health minister Francisco Alabi reported that there were no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at

913-419: A specific medical requirement or patient: Common equipment in an ICU includes mechanical ventilators to assist breathing through an endotracheal tube or a tracheostomy tube ; cardiac monitors for monitoring Cardiac condition; equipment for the constant monitoring of bodily functions; a web of intravenous lines , feeding tubes, nasogastric tubes , suction pumps, drains, and catheters , syringe pumps; and

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996-405: A total of 13,000 m (139,931 sq ft) of office space. Since their completion, the first two towers have maintained a 100% occupancy rate with multinational companies, embassies, and firms such as Banco Multisectorial de Inversiones (BMI), Ericsson, Continental Airlines, Microsoft, Inter-American Development Bank, and Banco Promérica maintaining offices there. Centro Financiero Gigante

1079-744: A validated clinical tool. The two most widely used are the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC). There are translations of these tools in over 20 languages and they are used globally in many ICU's. Nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals working in ICUs. There are findings which have demonstrated that nursing leadership styles have impact on ICU quality measures particularly structural and outcomes measures. In

1162-427: A water source for San Salvador during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but due to urbanization is now polluted. There are small streams running down from Lake Ilopango, and a few old aqueduct systems, but the municipality itself has no major bodies of water. Lake Ilopango , although not located in the municipality, is the closest large body of water, being only minutes away from the San Salvador historic center. The lake

1245-515: A wide array of drugs to treat the primary condition(s) of hospitalization. Medically induced comas , analgesics , and induced sedation are common ICU tools needed and used to reduce pain and prevent secondary infections . The available data suggests a relation between ICU volume and quality of care for mechanically ventilated patients. After adjustment for severity of illnesses, demographic variables, and characteristics of different ICUs (including staffing by intensivists), higher ICU staffing

1328-468: Is a complex of office buildings consisting of five towers, the highest of which is 77 meters (253 feet) tall and has 19 floors. It is a phased project which began with the construction of the two towers. After several years the number of buildings has increased, and it has become one of the most significant business complexes in San Salvador. The tallest tower is occupied by the Telefónica phone company,

1411-702: Is also home to about 3,500 Jews; the Jewish community is still robust, but less so since the 1980s, as a large number of them left with the start of the Salvadoran Civil War. Many Jews had migrated to El Salvador during World War II due to the work of José Castellanos Contreras , the Salvadoran diplomatic Consul General in Geneva, Switzerland , who helped a Jewish-Hungarian businessman named Gyorgy Mandl save up to 40,000 Jews in Central Europe from

1494-407: Is also home to regional offices for transnational entities. Unicomer Group , Almacenes Simán , Grupo Roble, Grupo Real, Excel Automotríz, and Grupo Q all have their central offices in San Salvador. Since the early 2010s there has been a boom in the construction of call centers providing services to national and international companies alike. San Salvador lacks a consolidated financial district; this

1577-603: Is also home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador , as well as many Protestant branches of Christianity, including Evangelicals , Baptists , and Pentecostals , and the restorationist Christian sect the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . San Salvador has been the host city for regional and international sporting, political, and social events. It hosted the Central American and Caribbean Games in 1935, 2002, and in 2023 and

1660-512: Is also the largest natural body of water in the country, with an area of 72 km (28 sq mi). The Cerrón Grande Reservoir, 78 km (48 mi) north of San Salvador, was formed by damming the Lempa River in the municipalities of Potonico, (Chalatenango) and Jutiapa (Cabañas). The Cerrón Grande Dam provides a substantial portion of the region's electricity . Spanish is the language spoken by virtually all inhabitants. English

1743-533: Is governed by a council consisting of a mayor (elected by direct vote every three years, with an option to be re-elected), a trustee and two or more aldermen whose number varies in proportion to the population of the municipality. The functions and powers of this government are framed within the rules of the Municipal Code. San Salvador's government is composed of departments, including the departments of festivals, parks, cemeteries, and finance. To safeguard

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1826-662: Is mainly due to the lack of urban planning that has plagued the city since the aftermath of the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992. Some clusters have formed, however, in an organic manner; today most of the banking and telecommunications are concentrated along the Alameda Manuel Enrique Araujo in District Two. Business complexes and towers have sprouted in the commercial districts of Colonia Escalón and Colonia San Benito , both in District Three of

1909-831: Is mostly Evangelical. One of the largest Protestant churches in the city is the Iglesia Cristiana Josue (from the Assemblies of God ), another is the Tabernaculo Biblico Bautista, Amigos de Israel (Bible Baptist Tabernacle, Friends of Israel). There are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , which opened the San Salvador El Salvador Temple in 2011. There are also smaller Latter-day Saints chapels in Districts 1 and 3. As in most of

1992-462: Is spoken more widely than in the past, due mainly to cultural influences from the United States, especially in entertainment, and the large number of Salvadoran emigrants returned from the United States. According to the 2007 Census, 72.3% of the population of San Salvador is mestizo, 25.8% is white, having mostly Spanish ancestry, and a few of French or German descents. In 2015, San Salvador

2075-454: Is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department . It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Municipality of San Salvador has 525,990 inhabitants (2024). The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador , which comprises the capital itself and 13 of its municipalities, has a population of 2,404,097. The urban area of San Salvador has

2158-575: Is variously called an eICU , virtual ICU , or tele-ICU . Remote staff typically have access to vital signs from live monitoring systems, and telectronic health records so they may have access to a broader view of a patient's medical history. Often bedside and remote staff have met in person and may rotate responsibilities. Such systems are beneficial to intensive care units in order to ensure correct procedures are being followed for patients vulnerable to deterioration, to access vital signs remotely in order to keep patients that would have to be transferred to

2241-417: Is well known in the western world as the source of Balsam of Peru and Tolu balsam . El Salvador is the main exporter of these resins, which are still extracted manually. El Cerro de San Jacinto (San Jacinto Hill) , is located on the eastern border of the municipality and is shared with Soyapango , Santo Tomás and San Marcos . The summit is located at 1,153 meters (3,783 feet) above sea level. The hill

2324-680: The Acelhuate River . The population of the city remained relatively small until the early 20th century. In January 1885, during the presidency of Rafael Zaldívar , a group of businessmen and the president's family contributed funds for building the Sara Zaldivar Asylum for Indigents and the Elderly. In 1902, the Hospital Rosales was built, named after its benefactor, Jose Rosales, a banker who gave his fortune to

2407-608: The Central American Games in 1977 and 1994, as well as the Miss Universe pageant in 1975 and in 2023 . San Salvador was also the host city of the 18th Ibero-American Summit in 2008, the most important sociopolitical event in the Spanish and Portuguese sphere. The Central American Integration System has its headquarters in San Salvador. San Salvador was named by Gonzalo de Alvarado in 1525, after

2490-645: The Christian Democratic Party candidate, José Napoleon Duarte , an engineer, was elected mayor; he served from 1964 to 1970. During his term he ordered construction of the Pancho Lara park in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood, renewed the electrical grid , and set up a system of schools for adult education . The 1960s to the 1980s were the golden age of San Salvador in all aspects of security, quality of life, and modernization. Today

2573-527: The Corte de Cuentas de El Salvador  [ es ] , recommended in April that the new hospital be made permanent; the court's president floated the idea of moving the convention center to other facilities. During construction, two workers of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation  [ es ] tested positive for the virus. Personnel worked in three shifts to accelerate work. The facility

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2656-622: The Estadio Cuscatlán were held in honor of the returning troops from the Football War with Honduras. The Boulevard de los Héroes (Boulevard of the Heroes) was named after the Salvadoran soldiers who fought there. The 1986 San Salvador earthquake destroyed many government buildings and other important structures, injuring and killing hundreds. Thousands of people were displaced by the disaster and many struggled to find shelter in

2739-536: The Rococo , Romantic and Art Nouveau architectural styles. The building contains three levels of seats, including a Presidential box at the center of the second level, and has seating for 650 people. The structure is surmounted by an ellipsoidal dome , the interior of which is adorned with a mural painted by Carlos Cañas and a crystal chandelier. San Salvador is also home to the museum Museo de Arte de El Salvador (MARTE), whose collection includes artworks dating from

2822-535: The Spanish conquest , the Pipil people established their capital, Cuzcatlan , near the current location of San Salvador. Not much is known about Cuzcatlan, as it was abandoned by its inhabitants in an effort to avoid Spanish rule. Under the orders of conquistador Pedro de Alvarado , his associates Gonzalo de Alvarado and Diego de Holguín occupied the empty settlement and began to develop it. Diego de Holguín became

2905-813: The Transfiguration of Jesus which celebrates every 6 August for the feast in the Western Church. That day in 1456 Pope Callixtus III made a commemoration of the Hungarian victory at the Siege of Belgrade against the Ottomans which made a spice trade blockade across Afro-Eurasia three years earlier. Thus, various places were named after the event with that name in order to designate the Christian church, such as Christopher Columbus who baptized in

2988-604: The Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities selected San Salvador as a "Latin American capital of culture", recognizing San Salvador's cultural diversity. The city government is restoring the downtown area, with the goal of celebrating the city's past and promoting cultural diversity. The symbols of the city are the Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo , shield, flag, anthem, and staff of office . The first three were created as

3071-863: The 19th Century with its first Independent movement , the Central American Independence Act , and the resist against the Mexican rule , the country got the name of El Salvador since 1824. Leaving San Salvador as a capital city that was already made since the Spanish rule in 1546; such name can also applies to the Salvadoran department . [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Spain 1525–1821 [REDACTED]   Mexican Empire 1822–1823 [REDACTED]   Central America 1823–1841 [REDACTED]   El Salvador 1841–1896 [REDACTED]   Central America 1896–1898 [REDACTED]   El Salvador 1898–present Before

3154-451: The Nazi persecution by giving them Salvadoran nationality papers. The city has a small community of Palestinians , mostly descendants of Palestinian Christian families who immigrated from Palestine in the late 19th and early 20th century, with the highest rate of immigration between 1910 and 1925. San Salvador is rich in Spanish heritage, and its historical center contains architecture of

3237-532: The Salvadoran capital. The World Trade Center San Salvador is located in District 3 (Colonia Escalón) at Avenida Norte and Calle del Mirador. The World Trade Center is interconnected to two hotels (one of which is the Crowne Plaza Hotel), a convention center and a commercial center containing retail shops and restaurants. As of October 2012, the center consists of two towers of 8 levels each, with

3320-488: The United Kingdom in 2003–04, the average cost of funding an intensive care unit was: Some hospitals have installed teleconferencing systems that allow doctors and nurses at a central facility (either in the same building, at a central location serving several local hospitals, or in rural locations another more urban facility) to collaborate with on-site staff and speak with patients (a form of [telemedicine]). This

3403-545: The United States, up to 20% of hospital beds can be labelled as intensive-care beds; in the United Kingdom, intensive care usually will comprise only up to 2% of total beds. This high disparity is attributed to admission of patients in the UK only when considered the most severely ill. Intensive care is an expensive healthcare service. A recent study conducted in the United States found that hospital stays involving ICU services were 2.5 times more costly than other hospital stays. In

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3486-495: The bells. The flag was designed at the request of the city government. The anthem was written by Carlos Bustamante (lyrics) and Ciriaco de Jesús Alas (music). The municipal staff shows a series of figures and symbols relating to local history. From top to bottom these images are: a native Amerindian, first mayor Diego de Olguín, Carlos V of Spain , the Royal Decree which gave San Salvador its name, Mayor Antonio Gutiérrez,

3569-569: The country, Roman Catholicism plays a prominent role in the celebration of holidays, including Las Fiestas Agostinas (The August Festivals) in honor of Jesus Christ, the Patron saint of El Salvador, referred to as El Salvador del Mundo (The Savior of the World). These events are becoming less prominent with a sharp decline in the Roman Catholic population during the past decade. San Salvador

3652-659: The country. The metropolitan area accounts for 3% of the national territory but 70% of public and private investment is made there. The economy of San Salvador, Antiguo Cuscatlán , and Santa Tecla is a mixed one composed mainly of services, private education, banking, business headquartering, and industrial manufacturing. Other municipalities in the metropolitan area depend either on industry, like Soyapango and Ilopango, on public services, like Mejicanos, or on power generation, as in Nejapa and Apopa. The other municipalities have not developed their own economies, however, they have provided

3735-517: The dry season) than nearby cities at sea level such as Acajutla . Its weather cools from the months of November through February due to seasonal winds of the dry season. During these months one can expect a daily mean of 22.2 °C (72.0 °F). The hottest months of the year are April and May, during the transition from the dry season (November to April), to the rainy season (May to October). In April and May average maximum temperatures reach 32.2 °C (90.0 °F). The highest reading ever recorded

3818-408: The facility. With the pandemic's decline, other health ministry functions have moved into the hospital building, including offices for the Ministry of Health's technology team. In September 2022, the government announced the creation of a specialty medical school at the hospital. The hospital in its first phase had 400 available beds—105 intensive care unit beds and 295 general hospital beds, which

3901-480: The first mayor of San Salvador after the town was founded on 1 April 1525. The town changed location twice, in 1528 and 1545. Originally established in what is now the archeological site of Ciudad Vieja , north of the present-day city, it was moved to the Valle de Las Hamacas , so named for the intense seismic activity that characterizes it. The new site was chosen because it had more space and more fertile land, thanks to

3984-586: The government projected it would be in operation by January 2021, though construction work was still ongoing in early March and in early April; despite claims by the Minister of Public Works that it was finished at that time, workers could still be seen on the property. The third phase opened on April 13 and was used as a mass vaccination site. An article published in The Lancet in December 2020 highlighted

4067-536: The heart. In 1955, William Mosenthal, a surgeon at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center also opened an early intensive care unit. In the 1960s, the importance of cardiac arrhythmias as a source of morbidity and mortality in myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) was recognized. This led to the routine use of cardiac monitoring in ICUs, especially after heart attacks. Hospitals may have various specialized ICUs that cater to

4150-445: The highest point in the municipality at 1,929 m (6,329 ft). El Boquerón Volcano was dormant since its last eruption in 1917, but has been active recently. East of the municipality lies the San Jacinto Hill and the caldera of Lake Ilopango , the largest natural body of water in the country with an area of 72 square kilometers (28 square miles). The caldera is seismically active, but has not erupted since 1880. San Salvador has

4233-559: The home for a new medical school and also houses offices for the Salvadoran health ministry. On 14 March 2020, President Nayib Bukele announced that a temporary hospital would be constructed in the CIFCO building, the country's main convention center. At the time, there were no reported COVID-19 cases in El Salvador, but Bukele warned of a potential "collapse" of the health system when cases did arrive. The Salvadorean transparency court,

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4316-782: The hospital and to the orphanage. The hospital's construction was begun by president Carlos Ezeta and finished during the presidency of Tomás Regalado . In 1905, president Pedro José Escalón initiated construction of the National Palace funded by coffee exportation taxes. The Monumento a los Próceres de 1811 (Monument to the Heroes of 1811), located in the Plaza Libertad , and the Teatro Nacional de El Salvador were built in 1911 during Manuel Enrique Araujo 's presidency. In 1917, an earthquake during an eruption of

4399-445: The hospital; however, the independent portal Salud con Lupa revealed that the article—in the journal's opinion section—was paid for by the government, which contracted with a consultant, Magdalena Serpa, to promote the facility. An April 2021 letter to The Lancet questioned several aspects of the hospital's design. A report in November 2021 alleged that the claimed architect of the hospital had not finished his architecture degree. As

4482-551: The inconvenience of conversion to other currencies. San Salvador's economy is mostly based on remittances, followed by service and retail sector, rather by industry or manufacturing. San Salvador is home to the great majority of corporations in the country, and supports many commercial activities, including food and beverage production; the pharmaceutical and chemical industries; the sale of automobiles, handicrafts, and construction materials; as well as appliance repair. Most national companies have their headquarters in San Salvador, which

4565-424: The interests of the municipality, there is a board of metropolitan agents. Each of the six city districts also has a government department. The mayor is a member of the Council of Mayors of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (COAMSS), composed of fourteen local councils that make up the area known as Greater San Salvador. The municipality is further subdivided into districts governed by the municipal mayor and by

4648-443: The island of Guanahani , Bahamas in 1492. And so, Gonzalo made it honor to the Divine Savior of the World , and the representation of the conquistador leader, Pedro de Alvarado at that moment to expand the territory of Cuzcatlan . This name made an inspiration for the country which was a part of the Captaincy General of Guatemala as province, later an alcalde mayor, and fast forward in 1785 an indendency . After entering into

4731-572: The mid-19th century to the contemporary era. The museum has held temporary exhibitions of works by internationally renowned artists like Picasso , Rembrandt , Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró . The Museo Nacional de Antropología (MUNA) or National Museum of Anthropology, founded in 1883 by David Joaquín Guzmán , has exhibits on human settlements, agriculture, artisans, commerce and trade, religion, arts and communication. The museum aims to foster cultural awareness for Salvadorans through exhibitions, research, publications and educational programs. In 2011,

4814-487: The morgue, and journalists have not been allowed access to verify that the former convention center has the necessary infrastructure to serve as a hospital. In March 2021, the transparency court alerted to the existence of 63 anomalies in the construction process, including an initial lack of wastewater treatment facilities. Work on the third and final phase—consisting of entirely new construction—was reported to be slow-moving in October, two months after its planned completion;

4897-492: The municipality where the elevation is consistent. The city shares many topographic features with neighboring municipalities in the San Salvador and the La Libertad departments. The most notable topographical feature visible in San Salvador and its metropolitan area is the Boquerón Volcano , which looms over this region in its foothills at a height of 1,893 meters (6,211 feet) above sea level . San Salvador shares Cerro El Picacho , 1,931 meters (6,335 feet) above sea level, with

4980-469: The nearby San Salvador volcano damaged the city, but it escaped additional damage because the lava flowed down the back side of the volcano. On 2 December 1931, president Arturo Araujo was ousted by a military coup d'état and replaced by the military Civic Directory . The directory named vice-president Maximiliano Hernández Martínez as president and Araujo went into exile. The Hernández Martínez regime lasted from 4 December 1931 to 6 May 1944. In 1964,

5063-445: The neighboring municipality of Mejicanos . The portion of the Cordillera del Bálsamo (Balsam Mountain Range) that sits in the Municipality has an average elevation of 1,030 meters (3,379 feet) above sea level . The Cordillera del Bálsamo is named after the Myroxylon balsamum tree, one of two species of Central American and South American trees in the family Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The tree, often called Quina or Bálsamo ,

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5146-487: The new facility to free up the national health system. However, a July report by the national medical association said it was only operating at 25 percent of capacity. The association's president further warned in December, with the third phase of the hospital still not complete, that the hospital system was being saturated with COVID-19 patients and that a system collapse was possible. San Salvador San Salvador ( Spanish pronunciation: [san salβaˈðoɾ] ;)

5229-406: The next tallest tower is used by RED Business Communication Systems. The complex also includes the Banco Azteca center, Stream Global Services representing Dell in Central America, The Israeli Embassy of San Salvador, Tigo , call centers, and other small offices and banks. The project started in 1997 with Phase I, the construction of the two tallest towers. In Phase II a seven-story-high tower for

5312-413: The old Dell company in Central America was built, and in Phase III a 12-story-high tower for Tigo and a 10-story-high tower for Telemovil. The final phase was remodeling of the Telemovil building to convert it into the Banco Azteca Center. Intensive care unit An ICU was defined by the task force of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine as “an organized system for

5395-469: The pandemic, there were just 30 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in all of El Salvador; surge capacity had brought that number to 157 by the time the hospital opened. The University of El Salvador issued a press release upon the facility's inauguration, calling for the hospital to eventually become that university's medical school. Since the opening, the transparency court has noted that the health ministry has not allowed auditors to access key areas, such as

5478-401: The priest José Matías Delgado, the seal of liberation of 1811, the 1821 independence seal, the shield of the Municipal Freedom Union, the national emblem, and God. On 5 May 2015, Mayor Nayib Bukele presented the redesigned city shield and flag. The new city coat of arms is silver as a symbol of purity; it has the flag of El Salvador in the center, and a ribbon on the bottom with the date 1834,

5561-724: The provision of care to critically ill patients that provides intensive and specialized medical and nursing care, an enhanced capacity for monitoring, and multiple modalities of physiologic organ support to sustain life during a period of life-threatening organ system insufficiency.” Intensive care units cater to patients with severe or life-threatening illnesses and injuries, which require constant care and close supervision from life-support equipment and medication in order to ensure normal bodily functions . They are staffed by highly trained physicians , nurses and respiratory therapists who specialize in caring for critically ill patients. ICUs are also distinguished from general hospital wards by

5644-412: The redevelopment of parks and historic buildings in the Rescate del Centro Histórico , which involves the removal of street vendors. This has led to several riots in the area, but he has managed to place the vendors in new markets where they can operate their own stalls. The cities in El Salvador, by constitutional provision (Article 203), are economically and administratively autonomous. San Salvador

5727-468: The ruins. In 1986, Mayor Morales Ehrlich closed streets in the downtown of the city to create a large pedestrian mall, which has resulted in chronic traffic congestion. The Chapultepec Peace Accords were signed on 16 January 1992, ending 12 years of civil war . The signing is celebrated as a national holiday with people flooding downtown San Salvador in the Plaza Gerardo Barrios and in La Libertad Park. Since 2009, Mayor Norman Quijano has worked for

5810-424: The site. US$ 25 million was spent on the first phase of the conversion of the former convention center, with the entire facility costing $ 75 million. Covering 36,000 square metres (390,000 sq ft), the facility features a blood bank, morgue, and radiology area, among other amenities. At the same time the hospital opened, the government began hiring to fill medical and administrative positions. Prior to

5893-422: The surgery is very invasive and the patient is at high risk of complications. In 1854, Florence Nightingale left for the Crimean War , where triage was used to separate seriously wounded soldiers from those with non-life-threatening conditions. Until recently, it was reported that Nightingale's method reduced mortality from 40% to 2% on the battlefield. Although this was not the case, her experiences during

5976-542: The tallest building in the country has 28 floors and is 110 meters high. With the commencement of the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s, many modernization projects were halted. Examples of suspended projects include a 40-story government building approximately 160 meters in height, and the Sheraton Hotel Tower, a 26-story building with a rotating restaurant on top. In 1969, celebrations in

6059-469: The war formed the foundation for her later discovery of the importance of sanitary conditions in hospitals, a critical component of intensive care. In response to a polio epidemic (where many patients required constant ventilation and surveillance), Bjørn Aage Ibsen established the first intensive care unit globally in Copenhagen in 1953. The first application of this idea in the United States

6142-494: The workforce required for industry in neighboring municipalities. San Salvador, as well as the rest of the country, has used the U.S. dollar as its currency of exchange since 2001. Under the Monetary Integration Law, El Salvador adopted the U.S. dollar as a legal tender alongside the colón. This decision came about as an attempt to encourage foreign investors to launch new companies in El Salvador, saving them

6225-424: The year San Salvador was declared capital of Central America. On the sides it has two swords: to the left the sword of Francisco Morazán , and to the right, the sword of Gerardo Barrios , representing his past victories. A crown of laurels encircles the coat of arms, which is also surrounded by 6 stars, representing the 6 districts that form the city. San Salvador disproportionately concentrates economic activity in

6308-422: Was 38.5 °C (101.3 °F), the lowest was 8.2 °C (46.8 °F). The highest dew point was 27 °C (81 °F) and the lowest −10 °C (14 °F). Thunderstorms occur almost daily during the rainy season, mostly in the afternoon and through the night—by morning the sky clears and the days are usually sunny until the afternoon storms. San Salvador has a very hilly terrain; there are few parts of

6391-453: Was announced in June 2020 that the hospital conversion would be made permanent. In its first phase, the hospital has 400 available beds, a number which was expected to increase to 2,000 total beds upon completion of phase 3 of construction. However, phase 3 was not opened as a hospital and instead served as a vaccination facility. With the decline of the pandemic, the facility has been announced as

6474-457: Was in 1951 by Dwight Harken . Harken's concept of intensive care has been adopted worldwide and has improved the chance of survival for patients. He opened the first intensive care unit in 1951. In the 1960s, he developed the first device to help the heart pump. He also implanted artificial aortic and mitral valves. He continued to pioneer in surgical procedures for operating on the heart. He established and worked in several organizations related to

6557-421: Was inaugurated by the president on 22 June, at which time he announced the hospital conversion would be permanent because of the large investment made. Also at that time, the hospital was named the "Hospital El Salvador", representing the saving of lives that was hoped would take place there. The inauguration event was closed to journalists, and on multiple occasions officials denied newspaper photographers access to

6640-594: Was once famous for the San Jacinto Cable Car and Park located at its summit, but the facilities were eventually abandoned. Soil types include regosol , latosol , and andosol , as well as soils derived from andesitic and basaltic rocks. The river nearest San Salvador is the Acelhuate , which is 2.2 km (1.4 mi) long. Although not within the municipality, it forms a natural boundary between San Salvador and Soyapango. The Acelhuate served as

6723-435: Was projected to have a population of 257,754 inhabitants, accounting for about 3.99% of the country's population, while the metropolitan area had 1,767,102 inhabitants, comprising 27.4% of the country's total population. The population of San Salvador is predominantly Roman Catholic , with a significant minority of Protestants. There is more diversity of religion than in most Latin American countries. The Protestant population

6806-494: Was significantly associated with lower ICU and hospital mortality rates . A ratio of 2 patients to 1 nurse is recommended for a medical ICU, which contrasts to the ratio of 4:1 or 5:1 typically seen on medical floors. This varies from country to country, though; e.g., in Australia and the United Kingdom, most ICUs are staffed on a 2:1 basis (for high-dependency patients who require closer monitoring or more intensive treatment than

6889-497: Was slated to increase to 1,083 ICU beds and 2,000 total upon completion of phase 3 of construction. The second and third phases were initially anticipated for completion in August 2020, though the latter was delayed several times, first to January 2021; it still was not complete by early March. The third phase included the opening of a three-story building being erected on the former convention center parking lot. All COVID-19 patients being cared for at other hospitals were to be moved to

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