The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer is moving forward on a West Allis facility to handle a surge of low acuity COVID-19 patients that could overwhelm the Milwaukee region’s healthcare facilities.
The facility at the Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park should be able to house more than 700 patients, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters Thursday.
“It is my sincere hope that there is never a single patient in this facility,” Barrett said. “It is my hope that we’re able not only to flatten the curve, but able to quash and squash the curve, so we never get to the point where our hospital system is so congested that we’re going to need this.”
Colonel Aaron Reisinger, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Chicago District, said they awarded a contract to Gilbane Building Company in Milwaukee, on Tuesday night. He said they expect construction to begin “in earnest” in around three days.
Subcontractors include HGA, Johnson Controls, Staff Electric, F. Ahern and Hetzel Sanfillipo, according to a statement from Gov. Tony Evers.
“We’re just a little over 24 hours in at this point, still working through final scope, design, reviewing some of the specific specifications, technical challenges we have to work through to continue to move forward on this project,” Reisinger said.
Reisinger said they’ll be building 10-foot by 10-foot patient spaces that will have 8-foot walls on three sides and a curtain.
The spaces will have electrical outlets and a nurse call. They’ll be open to the ceiling and use the center’s existing lighting.
It took them around seven days to set up 500 patient spaces at McCormick Place in Chicago.
He said the funding for building the facility comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and they have not finalized the contract amount with Gilbane.
They’ve entered into an “undefinitized contract,” meaning they’re working on defining the contract as they figure out the scope of the project, he said.
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine said the alternative care facility could serve as overflow for hospitals beyond Milwaukee County like facilities in Oconomowoc and Brookfield.
Dr. Ben Weston, director of medical services for the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, said that the facility’s leadership team is still working out how they’ll staff the facility.
Milwaukee County health systems have increased the number of inpatient beds from 2,400 to 3,600. They’ve also doubled the number of intensive care unit beds from 450 to nearly 900. County-wide, there are 500 ventilators.
Weston said they’re hoping to make the capacity numbers, and where health systems stand with resources, publicly available.
Barrett said they’ve talked with Milwaukee hospitals about the facility. They’ve also talked with Dr. Nick Turkal, the former co-CEO of Advocate Aurora Health, who is heading the field hospital at McCormick Place in Chicago.
There have been 1,587 confirmed cases and 73 deaths in Milwaukee County as of Friday morning.
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