2 Of Rhode Island's 3 Coronavirus Field Hospitals To Close

PROVIDENCE, RI — Two of the state's three "field" hospitals built at the height of the coronavirus pandemic will be closed down, the Rhode Island Department of Health said. The Cranston site will remain operational.

Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the director of the department, said the facilities at Quonset Point in North Kingstown and the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence are no longer needed. While they were never used, she thanked everyone involved for their work to get the state ready for a potential surge at a time of great uncertainty for the state.

The decision to decommission the sites was not one made lightly, Alexander-Scott said. The state's top health experts look at 10 years of flu data, along with COVID-19 data models to make the determination.

The existing hospitals in Rhode Island are also more ready to deal with a potential surge in cases, the doctor continued, having had the past few months to refine their plans and prepare. If a sudden increase in flu or COVID-19 cases happens, hospitals are now equipped to ramp up their operations quickly.

The state is still determining what will be done with the equipment from the decommissioned hospitals. Some will be stored according to federal guidelines that are still being determined, while others will be repurposed or donated elsewhere in the state, as needed.