State In the Process of Identifying Alternative Care Sites

ST. PAUL -- The state is in the process of finding alternative sites for makeshift hospitals if the need arises.

Joe Kelly is the Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Minnesota. He says hospitals across the state are currently in the process of converting the regular rooms into Intensive Care Unit beds.

That's the hospitals working to expand their capacity inside their existing facilities.

He says the alternative care sites that could be set up around the state would be for noncritical care patients.

Let's just say I fall and break my arm and I'll have surgery to pin that fracture in the regular hospital operating room, and then when I'm stable they'll transport me to one of these temporary alternate care sites to heal up.

Kelly says the planning team is focusing on first finding space at recently closed hospitals and nursing homes, they would then utilize places like dorm rooms and hotels, and their last resort would be larger venues like sports arenas and convention centers. He says those properties should be identified in a few days.