US Army Corp Of Engineers Works To Identify Alternate Care Facilities Amid Pandemic

In a response to the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases threatening to overwhelm our health care system, the governor has called on the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. They’re currently working to identify potential alternate care facilities.

With the death toll and hospitalizations mounting across the state, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Tulsa District is out in full force. They're checking out convention centers, open spaces, hotels, schools, and old hospitals.

They spent this past Friday and Saturday touring Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena and the Cox Convention Center.

Mechanical, structural, and electrical engineers are tasked with identifying what would need to be done to the sites in order to quickly convert them into temporary hospitals.

And while these care sites are not needed at the moment-- both the state and FEMA want to be prepared.

In a news release Monday, Tulsa District Commander Colonel Scott Preston called the task one of the nation's greatest engineering challenges saying, "We are committed to serving the citizens of our three states and doing what we can to get through this crisis."

In total, across the country the Army Corp of Engineers is looking at 114 facilities in all 50 states. Their hope is to convert the sites into functioning hospitals for both COVID-19 and non COVID-19 patients before the outbreak reaches its peak.

The state will determine which sites are selected.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is requesting all contractors with building out or retrofitting experience to visit the following link. COVIDContracting@usace.army.mil.