City of Yakima issued the following announcement on Apr. 2.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Washington State Department of Health (DOH), and the Yakima Health District announced today that a former Yakima hospital will be used to help support the state’s COVID-19 response.
“This is an example of a strong partnership from all levels of government to bring capacity to the health care system to serve our communities during the COVID-19 response,” said Kristin Peterson, Assistant Secretary for Health Systems Quality Assurance at the Washington State Department of Health.
The Alternate Care Site will be located at 110 S. 9th Ave. Yakima, WA 98902, the site of the former Astria Yakima Regional Center. This location was selected due to the ability to quickly mobilize the necessary infrastructure. A Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessment team determined the sites infrastructure suitable, following an April 1 assessment conducted at the request of FEMA and DOH. The care site will be established to take non-COVID-19 transfer patients to free up bed space at area hospitals treating positive cases of COVID-19.
“We worked hard in partnership with our state and federal partners to ensure that Yakima has the resources needed to respond to this outbreak,” said Andre Fresco, Executive Director of the Yakima Health District. “We welcome the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to Yakima. As community members see our uniformed service members in Yakima, know that they are here to help. Their expertise is invaluable as we work together to create additional healthcare capacity in our community.”
The alternate care site will help existing area hospitals focus on COVID-19 care, while delivering the highest level of care to patients with other needs. Approximately 80 personnel from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps will staff and operate the site. Once fully operational, the site could support up to 250 hospital beds. The site will not be open for walk-in visits by the general public.
0401200_HHS-Alternate-Care-Facility-in-Yakima-WA-_Update-1
Original source can be found here.
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