MADISON, WI (WSAU) – The state will open a field hospital at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis.
Governor Tony Evers announced that the alternative care facility will begin accepting COVID-19 patients on October 14. Today’s announcement comes are many hospitals are at or near capacity, especially in the Fox Valley from a surge in Coronavisus cases.
“We hoped this day wouldn’t come, but unfortunately, Wisconsin is in a much different, more dire place today and our healthcare systems are beginning to become overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases,” said Governor Evers. “This alternative care facility will take some of the pressure off our healthcare facilities while expanding the continuum of care for folks who have COVID-19.”
The Governor instructed the State Department of Health Services to issue an emergency order on Tuesday that limits indoor gatherings to 25% of a building’s capacity. That order will run through November 6. It is likely to face a court challenge. A judge in St. Croix County is already considering the legality of a statewide mask order that also runs into November.
853 patients are hospitalized from COVID across the state, which has quadrupled in the Fox Valley, Northeast, Northwest, Northcentral, and Western regions of the state.
Hospital leaders in Green Bay, Appleton, Neenah, and Wausau are reporting ICUs at capacity, transfers of patients to other facilities, and critical staffing shortages, and at their urging Gov. Evers will open the Alternative Care Facility. The ACF will not accept walk-in patients; those who are treated there will be transferred from other hospitals around the state.
The facility at State Fair Park will have room for 530 patients.
The site was proposed in April, but hadn’t been activated until now because hospitals remained below capacity.
