The State of Georgia is building a 200-hospital bed alternate care facility for COVID-19 patients at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta.
The governor’s office announced the project today. The State has hired American defense and government services contracting firm PAE to oversee the project.
“Across Georgia, we have partnered with existing healthcare infrastructure to greatly expand our surge capacity,” Gov. Brian Kemp says, “and now we have a dedicated team building out a temporary facility at the Georgia World Congress Center for potential COVID-19 patient surge.”
Starting immediately, the Georgia National Guard, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Department of Community Health, Department of Public Health, and contractors will begin to prepare GWCC for potential COVID-19 patient surge for mild to moderate (non-ICU) illness levels excluding ventilator support.
The team will utilize contract medical staffing to prepare for surge leading up to the state’s projected peak date, currently set for April 26, 2020, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
This project at GWCC will leverage existing support through nearby Grady Memorial Hospital with initial operating capacity available in one week, the governor’s office says. Kemp is expected to release more details as construction gets underway.
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