Convention Center could hold 900 beds as field hospital, Army engineers say
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started conducting site assessments earlier this month in Nevada — including at the Las Vegas Convention Center — for potential field hospitals in response to COVID-19.
The Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement Saturday that it did assessments in Las Vegas, Reno and Carson City.
A “potential field hospital” at the Las Vegas Convention Center could hold up to 900 beds, the corps said in a statement. A team also conducted four smaller site assessments in Reno and Carson City.
Assessors gathered “a wide range of data” about each site, such as their electrical and structural stability, and the amount of available space, according to the statement.
The team that did the assessments is part of the corps’ Task Force Nevada. It’s working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state.
The goal of the assessments is to provide FEMA with “options to present to the state of Nevada,” said Col. Aaron Barta, commander of Task Force Nevada, in a statement. “We’re supporting the state’s efforts to determine how much extra capacity is needed and how best to meet that need.”
Gov. Steve Sisolak said in the Saturday statement: “Alongside FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers is performing a valuable service at this unique time. Their efforts will help us make decisions about how best to manage our medical resources in the coming months to beat COVID-19.”
Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.
