COVID-19 Facility at State Fair Park Opens
Alternative care facility fielding calls from hospitals across state looking to transfer patients.
The state’s COVID-19 alternative care facility (ACF) is open and ready for up to 50 patients at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.
The facility, which state and local officials repeatedly said they never hoped to use, opened Wednesday morning as the state reported a record number of people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
The ACF is intended to serve as a relief valve for strained or overburdened hospitals. Patients, aged 18 to 60, that have been hospitalized for at least 48 hours can be transported to the facility from any Wisconsin hospital.
During a media briefing Wednesday afternoon, Standridge said the organization is fielding calls from hospitals across the state as to whether their patients qualify.
How many will be transported to the facility? “I cannot give you a number because we are still having those conversations,” said the health care veteran.
But she does know how they will get there. Gold Cross Ambulance will transport the patients by ambulance to the facility. Patients must meet a number of health benchmarks to be eligible, including have a temperature of 100 degrees or less. The facility, described as a field hospital, does have in-line oxygen to each of the beds.
The ACF was assembled in April inside the 200,000-square-foot exposition center on the south end of State Fair Park. It has 530 beds, but is currently only accepting up to 50 patients. Standridge, however, said current staffing levels would support an increase in capacity to 75 or 100 patients. The medical team consists of a mix of experienced physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists and other medical professionals.
But how can the facility find staff if other hospitals are feeling large strains? “We have staff from all over the United States,” said Standridge. “We are very grateful that they heard the call and want to be here in Wisconsin.”
The $15 million facility includes showers, dividing walls and expanded bathrooms. It does not provide the full range of care available in a hospital, but offers a basic level of oversight and comfort.
A similar facility was planned for Dane County, but was never completed. McCormick Place, Chicago’s convention center, was partially converted to an alternative care facility. Standridge said her team has learned a substantial amount after communicating with personnel at the Chicago facility and other alternative care facilities. She said the top takeaway was “communication.”
Additional care facilities could be constructed in Wisconsin if needed.
“What we need people to do in this state is to take this seriously with their own personal behavior,” said Willems Van Dijk. She asked people to avoid mass gatherings, wear a mask when in public and avoid unnecessary trips. “Looking at these numbers, the trajectory does not look good.”
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
- City of Milwaukee Bi-Weekly COVID-19 Update - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Dec 9th, 2022
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here