AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The COVID-19 alternate care site at the Austin Convention Center is ready to accept patients as of Tuesday morning, officials said.
The site, which is operated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management in partnership with Travis County and the City of Austin, has a capacity of 25 beds and can expand to more if needed.
"This Alternate Care Site in central Texas will reduce the burden on local hospitals and help ensure that Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 receive the care they need," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a release. "I thank our partners in Travis County, the City of Austin, and the Capital Area Trauma Regional Advisory Council for working collaboratively with the State of Texas to establish this facility. We will continue to provide the resources and support that our communities need to keep Texans safe."
The facility is aimed at patients who need a "lower acuity of care," freeing up hospital beds for those patients with more severe cases of COVID-19.
"Activating the Alternate Care Site means that we believe that it is inevitable that the healthcare system in Central Texas will exceed capacity and will soon be overwhelmed," said Dr. Jason Pickett, the alternate health authority for Austin-Travis County. "When we exceed capacity, we will do so not only for COVID patients but for all individuals needing hospital care in this community. We need this community to take substantial steps now to avoid a catastrophic surge."
Once the facility accepts its first patient, doctors and other medical personnel will be on site 24 hours a day. No patients will be directly accepted at the site; only referrals from area hospitals.
