The Alternate Care Facility is taking shape on the State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island to facilitate the care for COVID-19 patients. The Corps awarded the $101 million contract to build a 1,000-bed temporary hospital and part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency response.
Ready in April
Hundreds of workers are constructing a 1,000+-bed temporary alternate care facility for non-COVID and non-acute COVID patients in a large expanse of open field. Expected to be completed in late April, the facility will help alleviate pressure on Long Island hospitals already at capacity.
Professional Perspective
“We need to execute quickly,” commented Anthony Ciorra, New York District’s chief, Coastal Restoration and Special Projects Branch, Programs and Project Management Division, adding, “We’re nearing the projected peak of Coronavirus cases in the region and we have to be ready to meet health-care needs.”
Team Effort
When complete, 255,676 square feet of medical space will be created in five climate-controlled tents with multiple layers of insulation. It’s a team effort in conjunction with FEMA, New York State, Army National Guard and Suffolk County, to name a few.
This week an Army Corps’ specially-equipped Deployable Tactical Operations System vehicle with staff from the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District was on campus providing support for emergency operations. The Emergency Command and Control Vehicle is a box truck that provides communications and workspace for 11 personnel and is configured to support multiple PRTs. The Corps of Engineers, along with state and federal partners, met inside and discussed constructing such an expansive facility in a very short period of time.
Volunteer Medical Professionals
A contract for the work with Manhattan-based Turner Construction Co, is for roughly $101 million. Medical staff will be comprised, in part, from some 78,000 retired medical professionals answering a call from New York State for volunteers. Infrastructure on site replicates a hospital setting with overhead lighting, bathrooms, showers, nursing stations, food service and an IT station, powered by multiple generators. New York State may need more than 100,000 hospital beds for Coronavirus patients, compared to the state’s current capacity of 53,000 beds.
FEMA Mission Assignment
Under the FEMA Mission Assignment, one of eight assigned to the New York District, field assessment locations have been completed for 19 alternate care facilities in New York. Additional sites selected by New York State include the State University of New York at Old Westbury (Nassau County), Westchester Convention Center (Westchester County), and Aqueduct Racetrack (Queens), among others.
Safety First
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the federal government’s lead public works and engineering support agency during emergencies. Public safety is the Corps’ top priority.