There is an operation underway to build an emergency hospital inside Central Park.
Sunday morning, trucks filled with equipment and supplies parked along 5th Avenue, and workers with the North Carolina based Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse began constructing a 68-bed emergency field hospital across from Mount Sinai Hospital.
Dr. Elliott Tenpenny, the team leader of this field operation, tells NY1 state officials approved the plan after Mount Sinai Hospital reached out for assistance.
The field hospital will be composed of a respiratory care unit with ICU capability. Dr. Tenpenny said highly trained doctors and nurses with experience in infectious diseases will be deployed on a rotating basis.
We’re told patients will initially be coming from the Mount Sinai Health System. This buildout is apparently an exact replica of an emergency field hospital that Samaritan’s Purse opened on March 20 in northern Italy.
Crews are expected to be working around the clock to set up the site by 5th Avenue and 99th Street. It is expected to be fully operational Tuesday morning.
aladdyn2 on March 29th, 2020 at 23:44 UTC »
As someone who works in hvac and work is dropping off, is there an opportunity for work in setting up these field hospitals? Anyone know?
xanapok on March 29th, 2020 at 22:27 UTC »
All this emergency shelter stuff in the UK with the Excel center and this in Central Park is a bit weird considering the mass of now empty local venues.
Plenty of unused venues spread out across the city why build up large central ones?
greypowerOz on March 29th, 2020 at 21:11 UTC »
Things are going to get VERY bad in NYC hospital system in the next 2 weeks.
Yes I understand that MOST people won't need it. But the 20% -odd who DO NEED a hospital bed are not ALL going to be able to find one. It's math.