Austin Convention Center Prepped For Coronavirus Patients

AUSTIN, TX — Amid record levels of new cases of the coronavirus and related hospitalizations, city and county officials have begun to open an alternative care site at the Austin Convention Center to expand health care system capacity to treat the sick, it was announced Saturday.

To that end, the site will be prepared to take COVID-19 patients as soon as staffing is in place, officials said in an advisory. The purpose of the facility is to take specific patients who need a lower acuity of care to help relieve stress on local hospitals, officials explained, adding that patients needing higher-level or intensive care will still be cared for at hospitals.

The facility at the convention center was established during the summer of 2020 after the area experienced its first major surge of coronavirus. It has been on standby but has not taken any patients to date, officials said.

“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 Jason Pickett, 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."

Dwindling resources at area hospitals speak to the scourge of illness surge. In a separate statement on Friday, hospital officials ticked off availability rates of medical tools at Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White Health and St. David’s HealthCare. Currently, the 2,473 staffed beds within all three healthcare systems are 74 percent occupied, and the 483 intensive care unit beds are 89 percent occupied, officials said in a weekly update sent to Patch.

The city and county on Friday submitted a request to the State of Texas to prepare for staffing the facility, officials said. The request has since been approved, officials said, and the state now is coordinating staffing. Health district officials said patients will need to be referred to the Alternate Care Site by hospitals staff and, will likely be transferred from local hospitals based on criteria established in consultation with physicians and hospital staff. Once health care professionals accept the first patient at the ACS, officials added, the facility will have doctors and other medical personnel on-site 24 hours a day.

Officials said the alternative care site offers a number of amenities serving coronavirus patients and staff, including:

• Meals and beverages.
• Linen and laundry services.
• Toileting assistance.
• Showering and/or bathing assistance.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Wi-Fi.
• Telephone service.
• Television.
• Social services.

“We have been sounding the alarm for weeks that our situation was worsening,” said Dr. Mark Escott, the interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority. “Our hospitals and intensive care units are filling up and deaths continue to rise throughout Central Texas. You must take simple actions today to stop this from worsening. Stay home if you can. If you must leave home, wear a mask, practice proper hand hygiene, stay six feet apart from others, and do not gather with someone you do not live with. The whole region must act now."

For COVID-19 information and updates, visit AustinTexas.gov/COVID19.