LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — With temporary hospitals coming down in China and a new field hospital going up in the middle of New York's Central Park, military leaders in Arkansas are exploring 15 sites across the state in case of a surge in COVID-19 patients.
"We're starting off with a couple of thousand beds statewide in an effort to just put some initial planning together to make sure we're ahead of the curve," said Col. Eric Noe, commander of the Little Rock District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A segment of the corps' 800 Arkansas employees is working with the specialists with the National Guard to determine what sites could be used if the state becomes a viral hot spot similar to Wuhan, China, Italy, or New York.
"I have a little bit of advantage in terms of time, but we're not taking that for granted," the colonel said. "We've been asked to solve a relatively complex problem with a hopefully simple solution."
That means assessing a site based on a basic checklist to best find how a place could go from a convention center to a treatment center in the most quick and efficient way.
"We're looking for things like if electricity is already established," Col. Noe said. "Is it already up to code in terms of fire safety? We want to put these facilities in there and they're relatively ready to go as soon as we put the [hospital beds] in place."
Old, former hospitals like the Arkansas Rehabilitation Center in Hot Springs are on that list. Around Little Rock, the North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville and Southwest Regional Medical Center are also being explored, though military teams did not have to assess those sites.
The assessments will go to Governor Asa Hutchinson and advisors at the Department of Health. They will make the call on what to open if the situation gets that dire.
"We want facilities that are able to meet the demand and the need," Col. Noe said. "If we're going to put in the effort to build out, it doesn't really help to have 35 little places."
At the same time, the corps has to keep up it's day jobs, particularly flood control. The colonel said the Arkansas River is running a little high right now as neighboring Tulsa District empties its reservoirs ahead of the rainy season. Massive releases last year led to record flooding in Arkansas.
Col. Noe said all the districts' missions are as under control as they can be in a time like this.
"I'm really proud of our 800 employees because they've been able to balance the requirement to support the federal emergency management agency," he said.