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Work begins at Cal Poly’s Recreation Center to create SLO County alternate care site for COVID-19 patients

Poly Rec Center work begins
Workers began the process on Monday to transition Cal Poly's Recreation Center into San Luis Obispo County's official COVID-19 alternate care site. (Dave Alley/KEYT)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Workers began the process on Monday to transition Cal Poly's Recreation Center into San Luis Obispo County's official COVID-19 alternate care site.

Starting in the morning, workers could be seen going in and out of the massive complex.

A number of electrician trucks were parked outside, while inside, workers could be seen constructing metal truss systems that will be used to transport oxygen lines and electricity.

It is scheduled to be operational by next Wednesday, April 8, according to San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer and Emergency Services Director Wade Horton.

"When you think about setting something like this up, you have to have laundry contracts, you have to make sure food contracts set up. You make sure there is security, and how you can control people coming in and coming out," said Horton. "There are a lot of steps that are required in order to establish a site like this."

SLO County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein points out the facility would be used for COVID-19 patients that require some level of medical care, but not enough to warrant placement in intensive care.

"We are looking at providing a level of care that is somewhere between home isolation and acute care hospitalization," said Dr. Borenstein. "If someone after [one] week, which has proven to be an issue for many people, needs to step up the level of care, there will absolutely be immediate transport from our ACS to the hospital."

When completed, the building will be able to house a projected 400-700 beds.

The site would be opened in phases. Phase 1 would include room to accomodate 165 patients.

The alternate care site will only be used should county hospitals begin to receive an overwhelming surge of people suffering from COVID-19.

It will be staffed by the county's "medical reserve corps," a volunteer group of healthcare professionals, many of which come from a wide variety of different medical specialties, such as physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics, EMTs, licensed therapists and social workers, certified addiction providers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, and veterinarian.

Horton said about 200 volunteers have registered for the reserve corps so far, but more are needed for the alternate care site to reach its full capacity.

Article Topic Follows: Coronavirus

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Dave Alley

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