An 84-bed hotel in Kent, Washington is now a quarantine site for COVID-19-positive patients. King County officials announced the $4 million building purchase during the first week of March. The building features doors that open to the outside and separate heating-and-cooling systems per room, both of which help lessen the risk of spreading germs. The former Econo Lodge hotel is one of the many new solutions to the ever-dwindling supply of medical facilities facing the novel coronavirus.
Many hospitals across the country have reached their limits. Their beds are full. Equipment is hard to come by. Staffing schedules are stretched thin. It is painfully apparent that the U.S. is in considerable need of more physical spaces to treat patients.
For years, medical developments haven’t been able to keep up with demand. Now, a global pandemic has flooded healthcare spaces, placing extreme demands for more space at an accelerated speed. Medical facilities are popping up all around the U.S. Their structures are ranging from temporary medical tents, serving the rural and homeless communities, to large convention centers turned into substitute hospitals.
Here are a few of the new or unique medical facilities that are currently underway due to the novel coronavirus:
New York Javits Center
The New York Javits Center, a significant 160,000 square feet convention center, is now being used in unconventional ways. The building has now become a field hospital. This facility is known for hosting comic-cons and auto shows. But now, 350 federal staffers will be using the repurposed space to treat patients. Initially, the new temporary medical space will host 1,000 beds, with the potential of adding 1,000 more.
Penn Medicine Is Rushing to Open Early
Penn Medicine is hastening its construction project in Philadelphia. It hopes to open part of its University City project in April of 2020, 15 months ahead of schedule. This would provide 119 beds that will help serve the influx of patients due to the virus.
Baystate Medical Center
Baystate Medical Center is building a new temporary triage facility to assist with COVID-19 patient care. The structure stands near the drop-off area for the medical center’s emergency departments. The new facility will allow the staff to screen patients more quickly. Patient assessments will happen in this new structure that will hold 30-40 chairs, positioned six feet apart.
Unique Medical Reuse of Other Entities
Traditional hospitals carry the weight of crowded emergency rooms and new COVID-19 patients in addition to their regular patient load. Now, unique facilities are helping to fill the gap. In one case, a soccer field in the Shoreline suburb of Washington state has become the site of a makeshift medical facility. Two large hospital tents now stand side-by-side, providing 140 beds under the covering of A-frame roofs. And outdoor tent structures aren’t the only unique stand-in medical facilities.
One source explains that LEO A DALY health team is looking into adapting hotels as quarantine sites. As mentioned earlier in this article, hotels can have a few of the necessary components for hospital-like conversions. Among other things, these plans include nurse stations on each floor. Patients will be able to check-in at reception desks, and retail areas could easily transform into a temporary pharmacy. The ingenuity of designers and developers is being put to the test, essentially requiring adaptive reuse facilities within a short turn-around time.
There are multiple examples just like these that indicate the vast scope of the unprecedented current landscape of the medical sector. Seeing so many temporary adaptive reuse projects span the country is an encouragement that healthcare systems continue to grow exponentially. As the U.S. continues to move through this difficult season, we can only hope that it can—at the very least—result in a greater amount of long-lasting healthcare facilities to serve the ever-growing U.S. patient base.
If you are interested in learning more about investing in commercial real estate, or if you have questions about buying, selling, or leasing a commercial property, please contact an HBRE advisor. Our team of experienced CRE professionals have the skills and insight to assist with all property transactions. To reach out to us directly, email [email protected] or call 615-564-4133.
